1997_04 The Daily Collegian April 1997

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THE DAILY
COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, April 2, 1997
Study finds possible food link to depression
By Maggie Fox
Reuters
LONDON — British scien¬
tists said last week they had
found a possible nutritional link
to depression, especially among
women with eating disorders.
Women with a known ten¬
dency to depression who were
put on a diet artificially low in
the amino acid tryptophan saw
a return of their symptoms
within hours. Dr. Katy Smith, a
psychiatrist at Oxford Univer¬
sity, reported.
Once the volunteers started
eating normally again the symp¬
toms disappeared, she and col¬
leagues reported in the Lancet
medical journal.
Many studies have been
made into the causes of depression.
Current scientific evidence pqints
to serotonin, a neurotransmitter or
chemical that carries signals be¬
tween brain cells.
It is associated, among other
things, with mood.
Smith's group set out to sec if
lowering intake of tryptophan, the
amino acid that the body converts
into serotonin, would provoke a re¬
lapse in depressive women.
They studied 15 women who
had recovered from major depres¬
sion and were no longer on drugs.
They were put on very low protein
diets for a day and given one of two
drinks, one of them containing no
tryptophan and one with.
"After drinking the tryptophan-
free mixture, 10 of the 15 women
experienced temporary but clini¬
cally significant depressive symp-.
toms," they wrote.
The volunteers rated themselves
for depressive symptoms and were
also observed by trained staff.
Smith said she was surprised at
the clear-cut results. "It was very
quick — within hours, really," she
said.
"The mood change was quite
dramatic for those women," she
added. "They were the typical
symptoms of depression — low
mood but also the other symptoms
such as a change in amount of
activity...an increase in...guilty
thinking, particularly."
Blood measurements showed
levels of tryptophan fell by about
75 percent among the women when
they had the tryptophan-free drink.
There were no changes in blood or
behavior when they got the drink
containing tryptophan.
"It has been shown in previous
studies that normal dieting docs
lower tryptophan to some extent,"
Smith said in a telephone interview.
But she said the conditions for
her study were highly artificial, and
not likely to be duplicated by some¬
one on a diet. The volunteers ate
onlyp small amount of green salad
and a low-protein cracker.
"The main reason it was low in
tryptophan is lhal there was very
little of it." Smith said.
Tryptophan, an essential amino
acid, is contained in almost all food
containing protein, which is nearly
all food.
She said people fearful of de¬
pression should not rush out to buy
tryptophan supplements, which arc-
not available over-the-counter in
Britain and other countries any¬
way.
"It's usually prescribed by
specialists as an adjunct to other
anti-depressive therapy," she
said.
"On its own it does have mild
anti-depressive effects in people
who are depressed." she added.
"But it may be other dietary ma¬
nipulations arc more helpful
than taking tryptophan on its
own."
However, she said women,
with a history of eating disorders
such as anorexia or bulimia,
along'with depression, should
avoid very low-calorie diets.
Circumcised men have varied sex, study says
Reuters
CHICAGO — Circumcision offers virtu¬
ally no health benefits but men who are cir¬
cumcised tend to have more varied sex, a
study published Tuesday said.
The report by University of Chicago re¬
searchers found no significant differences
between circumcised and uncircumcised men
in their likelihood of contracting sexually
transmitted diseases. But the study in this
week's Journal of the American Medical
Association did find "significant differences
between circumcised and uncircumcised men
in terms of their sexual practices."
"The difference ... was greatest for mas¬
turbation — ironically a practice that circum¬
cision was once thought to limit," the study
said. It said 47 percent of circumcised men
reported masturbating at least once a month
vs. 34 percent for their uncircumcised peers.
The difference in frequency cannot be
explained but it does "cast doubt on the Vic¬
torian-era notion that circumcision reduces
the urge to masturbate." the study said. .
In addition, circumcised men were found
to be nearly 1.4 times more likely to engage
in heterosexual oral sex than uncircumcised
men. They were also more likely to have had
homosexual oral sex and heterosexual anal
intercourse.
The study was based on an analysis of data
collected from a sample of 1.410 men. aged
18 to 59. in the United Slates, which has one
of the world's highest non-religious circum¬
cision rates.
The study also found circumcised men
have a slightly lower risk of sexual dysfunc¬
tion, especially later in life.
Circumcision rates reached 80 percent in
the United States after the Second World War
but peaked in the mid-1960s and have since
fallen off amid debate over whether the prac¬
tice has health value or adversely affects male
satisfaction, the study said.
"The considerable impact of circumcision
status on sexual practice represents a new
finding that should further enrich such dis¬
cussion," the researchers wrote. "Our results
support the view that physicians and parents
be informed of the potential benefits and risks
before circumcising newborns."
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One way to cure college drinking: Classes
By Pam Kelley
Knight-Ridder/
Tribune News Service
CHARLOTTE. N.C. — Do
first-year college students act
more responsibly and drink less
if they've got 8 a.m. classes on
the next day's agenda?
Members of a UNC Chapel
Hill task force on substance
abuse think so. In its recent re-
rport recommending measures to
curb student drug and alcohol
abuse, the group issued a vari¬
ety of suggestions.
Among them: Encourage
freshmen "to develop structure
within their newfound free¬
dom."
To help provide that struc¬
ture, assign them 8 or 9 a.m.
classes with limited excused ab¬
sences, the task force said. Pro¬
fessors should also give more
exams on Friday "to keep stu¬
dents aware of the total academic
week and the seriousness of aca¬
demic purpose of this institution."
The group's chairman. Dr. Will¬
iam Jordan of Faycttevillc, thinks
such measures could combat a com¬
mon perception among freshmen:
"When they leave home and go to
college and have a totally unstruc¬
tured environment, the perception
for many is 'Oh boy, it's party
time!' "
Nationally, 44 percent of college
students identify themselves as
binge drinkers—consuming five
drinks at one sitting for men, four
for women.
UNC Provost Dick Richardson
thinks professors already give-
plenty of Friday tests. "I don't ex¬
pect that to see much change," he
says.
But he's willing lo try schedul¬
ing more early morning classes, he
says, "to see if it has any impact."
UNC Student Body President
Mo Nathan doesn't think il will.
"It's almost a moot point be¬
cause already; so many freshmen
hUve 8 o'clock classes, because
they're already the low people
on the totem pole," he says.
"Upperclassmen avoid 18 a.m.
classes) like the plague."
Nathan doesn't think early
morning classes will curb binge
drinking, but he likes the task
force's suggestion that the uni¬
versity offer more social settings
that don't involve alcohol.
He points to one success
story: Last year, UNC's Student
Union set up a giant television.
Now. instead of heading to
local bars to watch basketball
games, hundreds of students
flock to the union's Great Hall.
"There's no alcohol, and no¬
body cares. It's the hottest ticket
in town," he says.
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