Tight jeans affect fertility in men, women

Too-tight jeans are linked to low fertility in men, but it turns out that young women don't get off scot-free. Extremely tight denims bring the knees closer together, causing an abnormal stride, says Janice Novak, author of "Posture: Get It Straight" (Expert Publishing, $16.95).

"When your hips don't have normal range of motion, you get back pain," Novak says. "Some muscles become excessively weak because they're not working like they should, while others overwork."

The solution will seem obvious to parents, if not to teens and tweens. Ditch the skinny jeans, or at the very least wear ones with a little stretch or spandex.

How can you tell if her jeans are too tight? If she can lift her knee to her chest without any trouble, the jeans are probably OK.

Bone builder

Here's a new prescription for bone health: Add running to your exercise routine and a glass of wine to your daily habits.

In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that while resistance training is good for your bones, running is even better. People who mainly do nonweight-bearing exercise, such as swimming, would benefit from adding either to their regimen.

Another study, at Tufts University, found that regular moderate alcohol intake was associated with greater bone mineral density in older men and postmenopausal women. Beer and wine both seem to have protective effects, but only if consumption is moderate - paradoxically, drinking more than two servings of alcohol a day may contribute to bone loss.

One theory is that the silicon found in beer might contribute to higher bone density, researchers said. For wine, the key might be the antioxidants.

A calcium-rich diet and exercise are most important for bone health. "There is a body of research showing alcoholism is devastating to bones," said Katherine L. Tucker, one of the authors. "It's a major risk factor for osteoporosis. No one should depend solely on alcohol to maintain bone health."

And now, the bad

Men and women who drink two or more alcoholic drinks per day could increase their risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study at Georgetown University.

The association between alcohol and pancreatic cancer kicks in at two drinks a day for women and three drinks for men, and it doesn't matter what type of alcohol you drink.

"It's important to understand any protective or risk factors for this dangerous disease even if the risks are weak or modest," said lead author Jeanine M. Genkinger.

Grab a pencil

Your co-worker who doodles during a meeting might be paying better attention than you are.

In a new study, subjects who doodled while listening to a dull phone message had a 29 percent better recall than the nondoodlers. Doodling apparently puts the brakes on daydreaming, which is what many people do when they are bored.

"This study suggests that in everyday life doodling may be something we do because it keeps us on track with a boring task, rather than being an unnecessary distraction that we should try to resist doing," said psychologist Jackie Andrade, one of the researchers. The study was published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.