The following study just was published in the American Journal of Public Health. We know mold is a toxin and here it has been linked with depression, fatigue and low libido. Household Mold Linked To Depression Science Daily Ñ A groundbreaking public health study has found a connection between damp, moldy homes and depression. The study, led by Brown University epidemiologist Edmond Shenassa, is the largest investigation of an association between mold and mood and is the first such investigation conducted outside the United Kingdom Shenassa said the findings, published in the American Journal of Public Health, came as a complete surprise. In fact, after a few U.K. studies published in the last decade had suggested a link, Shenassa and his skeptical team set out to debunk the notion that any link existed. ÒWe thought that once we statistically accounted for factors that could clearly contribute to depression Ð things like employment status and crowding Ð we would see any link vanish,Ó said Shenassa, the lead author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Community Health at Brown. ÒBut the opposite was true. We found a solid association between depression and living in a damp, moldy home.Ó Shenassa noted the study, an analysis of data from nearly 6,000 European adults, does not prove that moldy homes cause depression. The study wasnÕt designed to draw that direct conclusion. However, ShenassaÕs team did find a connection, one likely driven by two factors. One factor is a perceived lack of control over the housing environment. The other is mold-related health problems such as wheezing, fatigue and a cold or throat illness. ÒPhysical health, and perceptions of control, are linked with an elevated risk for depression,Ó Shenassa said, Òand that makes sense. If you are sick from mold, and feel you canÕt get rid of it, it may affect your mental health.Ó The study was a statistical analysis of data from the Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status (LARES), a survey on housing, health and place of residence conducted in 2002 and 2003 by the World Health Organization (WHO). To conduct the survey, WHO interviewers visited thousands of homes in eight European cities and asked residents a series of questions, including if they had depressive symptoms such as decreased appetite, low self-esteem, and sleep disturbances. WHO interviewers also made visual checks of each household, looking for spots on walls and ceilings that indicate mold. ShenassaÕs team analyzed LARES data from 5,882 adults in 2,982 households. ÒWhat the study makes clear is the importance of housing as indicator of health, including mental health,Ó Shenassa said. ÒHealthy homes can promote healthy lives.Ó Shenassa and his team are conducting follow-up research to see if mold does, indeed, directly cause depression. Shenassa said that given the results of the current study, he wouldnÕt be surprised if there is a cause-and-effect association. Molds are toxins, and some research has indicated that these toxins can affect the nervous system or the immune system or impede the function of the frontal cortex, the part of the brain that plays a part in impulse control, memory, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization and spontaneity.

Women's Health Much More At Risk From Sleep Deprivation, Study Suggests Science Daily



New research led by researchers at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick reveals that women¹s health 
is much more at risk from sleep deprivation than men¹s.  The researchers looked at men and 
women sleeping less than or equal 5 hours a night to see if their risk of having hypertension 
was any higher than men and women getting the recommended 7 hours or more of sleep a 
night. Among other problems increased hypertension does increase the risk of cardiovascular 
problems. Some previous studies have indicated that sleep deprivation is also associated with 
an increased risk of hypertension. However that research was based on self-reported diagnosis 
of hypertension, and had no gender-specific analysis. The University of Warwick led research 
team looked at data from "The Whitehall II Cohort" which studied volunteers from 20 London-
based civil service departments. There were a total of 6,592 participants (4,199 men and 1,567 
women). The Warwick team defined hypertension as blood pressure equal to or higher than 
140/90 mm Hg or if the subject made regular use of antihypertensive medications. The researchers 
found that the those women in the study group who slept less than or equal to 5 hours a night 
were twice as likely to suffer from hypertension than women who slept for the more recom-
mended seven hours or more a night. The researchers found no difference between men 
sleeping less than 5 hours and those sleeping 7 hours or more. Professor Francesco 
Cappuccio from the University of Warwick¹s Warwick Medical School led the research he 
declared that women sleeping less than 5 hours a night should try to get more sleep 
because,  "Sustained sleep curtailment, ensuing excessive daytime sleepiness, and the 
higher cardiovascular risk are causes for concern. Emerging evidence also suggests a 
potential role for sleep deprivation as a predictor or risk factor for conditions like obesity 
and diabetes." The research paper entitled: "Gender-Specific Associations of Short Sleep 
Duration With Prevalent and Incident Hypertension: The Whitehall II Study" is published in 
the October issue of "Hypertension."