Forecasting distribution of Body Mass Index in the United States: Is there more room for growth?

From Medical Decision Making

Too many American children are already overweight and the worrying forecast is for child obesity rates to rise. While the unprecedented rise in body weight over the past two decades has been well documented, less attention is paid to future projections of the US population distribution of body mass index (BMI).  This study estimates that while levels of obesity will remain high but stable among US adults, on the contrary, continued growth in the prevalence of the highest BMI category for children is anticipated. These predictions can serve to be an integral component of policy assessments that target one of the causative factors of obesity.

For better trade, give peace a chance

Trade and Conflict: Proximity, Country Size, and Measures

From Conflict Management and Peace Science

New research finds that contrary to the long argued idea that trade leads to peaceful relations between nations, actually peace allows trade to flourish. International trade’s effect on military conflict is one of the most important issues in international relations. The conclusions from this research suggest it is time for academics and policymakers to look beyond the naive claim that the cultivation of trade ties will always and everywhere produce a more peaceful world.

Do recreational drugs make us fail to remember?

Everyday and prospective memory deficits in ecstasy/polydrug users

From Journal of Psychopharmacology

Have you ever forgotten to post an important letter or let an appointment slip your mind? A new study from UK researchers suggests that for those who regularly use ecstasy or other recreational drugs, this kind of memory lapse is more common.  The study used a group of students, a mix of men and women, drug users and non users and set a number of memory tasks. The results indicate a link between these recreational drugs and an impairment of prospective memory – remembering to remember to do tasks.