Women who are trying to become pregnant may be careful of their caffeine consumption, as previous studies have shown that it increases the risk of miscarriage. A new study also looked at the caffeine intake of the father in the weeks and months prior to conception and found that mom is at an increased risk for miscarriage if dad drinks coffee.

The study, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is the first that looked at the man’s caffeine consumption as well as the woman’s. Although dozens of studies over the years have shown the health benefits of caffeine, the new study found that it was not helpful in avoiding miscarriage.

Why caffeine has any effect on miscarriage is unknown. One theory is that it could be related to how caffeine affects eggs and sperm at the genetic level, although this has had no in-depth studies. Regardless of the cause, the researchers concluded that “male preconception consumption of caffeinated beverages was just as strongly associated with pregnancy loss as females.”

“There’s something about drinking caffeinated beverages that is associated with pregnancy loss,” said lead researcher Germaine Buck Louis. “Our findings provide useful information for couples who are planning a pregnancy and who would like to minimize their risk for early pregnancy loss,” she added.

The study found that mothers who consume more than two caffeinated beverages daily during the first 7 weeks of pregnancy are also at higher risk of miscarriage.

The study compared lifestyle factors among 344 pregnant couples from the weeks before conception through the seventh week of pregnancy, using a “hazard ratio” to determine the severity of lifestyle factor that included use of caffeine. They determined that consuming more than two caffeinated drinks per day resulted in a hazard ratio of 1.74 for females and 1.73 for men, nearly identical results, meaning that the miscarriage rates were 74 percent and 73 percent higher, respectively.

The researchers note that the study results identified associations, and not causations.

A new study from the University of Miami has found that exercise can keep a person’s brain as much as 10 years younger than the brains of those who are sedentary. Researchers found that people who exercise show slower rates of cognitive decline than people who are of a similar age but are less active.

Study author Clinton Wright says that the number of people in the U.S. who are over 65 is growing, which means more aging people with thinking and memory problems. “Our study showed that for older people, getting regular exercise may be protective, helping them keep their cognitive abilities longer.”

The study looked at 876 people with an average age of 71, an age where the risk of stroke is increased. The participants were part of the Northern Manhattan study. They were asked how often and how long they had exercised in the two weeks before being interviewed for the studies.

Ninety percent of participants reported either light exercise, including walking or yoga, or no exercise at all. These people were categorized as low activity. The remaining 10 percent were placed in the high activity group, as they reported moderate to high-intensity exercise such as aerobics or running.

Participants then took thinking and memory tests, and also underwent MRI brain scans which were repeated 5 years later. The resulting analysis showed that participants in the high level exercise group showed significantly less cognitive decline than those who exercised little.

Wright says physical activity does not interfere with medications and is low cost, making it an attractive option for reducing the burden of cognitive impairment on the public health system.

“Our results suggest that moderate to intense exercise may help older people delay aging of the brain, but more research from randomized clinical trials comparing exercise programs to more sedentary activity is needed to confirm these results,” Wright concluded.

The study was published in the journal Neurology on March 23.

A smuggler risked a deadly overdose when he attempted to smuggle 27 bags of heroin from the Dominican Republic. The bags of drugs were surgically removed from 51-year-old Miguel Rodriguez’s stomach, intestine and rectum at a hospital in Salem, Mass. Police in sanitation suits observed the operation and counted each bag as it was removed.

Rodriguez reported to the hospital complaining about feeling sick after eating lobster. When he showed signs of opioid intoxication, hospital staff gave him Narcan, an overdose drug. Rodriguez improved after receiving the medication, at which time he admitted having just returned from the Dominican Republic, where he had swallowed bags of heroin. Hospital staff reported Rodriguez to police.

After being surgically removed from Rodriguez the drugs were taken to the hospital’s pathology department. Police then obtained a search warrant and confiscated the drugs.

The heroin removed from Rodriguez was measured at 163.4 grams, worth $16,000 on the street.

Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to charges of heroin trafficking on Thursday. As of Friday he was still recovering from surgery in the hospital. He is being held on $500,000 bail after a hospital bed arraignment.

Salem has been experiencing an opioid crisis, with 29 overdoses already in 2016, three of which were fatal. Salem police Capt. Conrad Prosniewski said “We’re fighting this on all fronts as much as we can.”

Prosniewski also said, “The bottom line is that this is a person who is bringing the drug into the country and this is the drug that is killing our people. The quantity that he had inside of him came to the weight level that exceeded the trafficking qualifications.”

When buying a commercially sold beverage for their child, many parents opt for a fruit drink as a healthy option. A new British study shows that this is not necessarily the case, as nearly half of the drinks they sampled were not so good for you, with many containing an entire day’s worth of sugar in a single serving. The study, from the University of Liverpool, states that parents have been misled into thinking these drinks are healthy. Simon Capewell, lead researcher for the study, says that smoothies are the worst offenders. The study was published in the journal BMJ Open on March 24.

Capewell says that the solution is offering fresh fruit to children rather than juice. If giving a child juice, offer an unsweetened variety, dilute it with water, and only serve it during a meal. The amount of juice per day should be limited to about 5 ounces. He also said manufacturers should stop adding sugar and calories to their products.

Fruit juice advocates don’t agree, saying parents should feel good about serving 100 percent juice to their children. The research they cited says drinking juice in appropriate amounts is not associated with higher levels of cavities or weight gain. Nutritionist Nancy Copperman, assistant vice president of public health at Great Neck, New York’s, Northwell Health has a different opinion, and agrees with Capewell’s study findings that the empty calories in fruit juice and other drinks are a problem that “crosses continents.”

Researchers in the UK study analyzed 203 products, including 158 fruit juice drinks, 24 smoothies and 21 fresh juices to determine their sugar content. The drinks were on sale at seven supermarkets in the UK. When calculating the quantity of “free sugar” in a 100ml serving the researchers found an average sugar content of 7 grams per 100ml, with ranges from zero grams to 16 grams. Free sugar is defined as extra sugar added by the manufacturers, but does not include the sugar naturally found in fruit.

Fruit juices labeled 100 percent pure averaged 10.7 grams of sugar per 100ml, juice drinks 5.6 grams per 100ml, and smoothies 13 grams per 100ml. Eighty-five of the products examined contained at least 19 grams of sugar, which is equal to the maximum recommended daily sugar intake for UK children. Some of the smoothies contained up to 8 teaspoons of sugar in a 200ml serving, three times the recommended daily limit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that, in order to avoid weight gain, obesity and tooth decay, sugar intake should not exceed 10 percent, and is preferable at only 5 percent, of the total daily energy intake.

A new study published March 23 in the journal Opthalmology suggests vitamin C may ward off more than colds. Researchers found that a diet rich in the nutrient can reduce the risk of cataract progression by one-third, whether it was consumed through food or a supplement. The study is the first to show that genetics may not be as important as diet in the development of cataracts.

Cataracts occur naturally with age, causing the lens of the eye to become cloudy. Although they can be removed, they are the leading cause of blindness throughout the world. According to the research, a person’s genetics accounts for about 35 percent of the risk for cataracts, with diet and environmental factors making up the other 65 percent.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which the research team says may explain how it can reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Oxidation can cause the lens of the eye to cloud. Since the fluid inside the eye relies on a high level of vitamin C to prevent that oxidation, a vitamin C-rich diet can provide extra protection.

Dr. Christopher Hammond, lead author of the study, said “While we cannot totally avoid developing cataracts, we may be able to delay their onset and keep them from worsening significantly by eating a diet rich in vitamin C.”

The study, performed at King’s College London, looked at more than 1,000 pairs of female twins from the UK. A food questionnaire was used to track vitamin C intake, along with other nutrients. Digital imaging was used to check the lens’ opacity at about age 60, with a follow-up measure 10 years later on 324 pairs of the twins. Baseline measurements showed a 20 percent cataract reduction risk with a diet rich in vitamin C. Ten years later that figure had increased to 33 percent for the women who reported consuming more vitamin C-rich foods.

Hammond cautions that the study shows only associations and cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship between cataracts and vitamin C. However, he says “the most important finding was that vitamin C intake from food seemed to protect against cataract progression.”