We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

                                                                 George Bernard Shaw

FRIDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Major depression and conflicts with intimate partners increase the risk of suicide among pregnant women and new mothers, a new study indicates.

"We have a more complete picture now of who these women are and what led up to these tragic events," study author Dr. Katherine Gold, an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a university news release. "These deaths ripple through families and communities and cause a lot of sorrow and devastation."

She and her colleagues analyzed 2,083 suicides among women aged 15 to 54 that were recorded over five years in the U.S. National Violent Death Reporting System.

More than half of the women who killed themselves had a known mental health diagnosis. Nearly half were in a depressed mood prior to their suicide.

"Previous research has shown that depressive disorders affect 14 to 23 percent of pregnant and postpartum women and anxiety disorders affect 10 to 12 percent," senior study author Dr. Christie Palladino, an obstetrician/gynecologist with the Education Discovery Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University, said in the news release.

"We've known that major depression is a factor in suicide for a long time," she said. "But this data tells us, for example, that pregnant and postpartum women had a much higher incidence of conflicts with intimate partners than their counterparts."

The study also found that new mothers who committed suicide were more likely to be depressed in the two weeks before they killed themselves.

Hispanic women were far more likely to commit suicide while pregnant (10 percent of such suicides) or within a year of pregnancy (9 percent of such suicides), compared to when they were not pregnant (4 percent of suicides among non-pregnant women).

The study appears online ahead of print publication in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

"As a society, we tend to avoid talking about suicide," Gold said. "But it's important to try to understand and talk about risk factors if we are going to address suicide from a public health perspective."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about suicide prevention.

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Diets rich in antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and whole grains appear to lower a woman's odds for a stroke, even if she has a prior history of heart disease, new research shows.

The Swedish study, which appears Dec. 1 in the journal Stroke, involved more than 31,000 women without heart disease plus almost 5,700 women with a history of heart disease. The women, aged 49 to 83, were followed for an average of 11.5 years (for the heart disease-free group) or almost 10 years (the heart disease group).

During the follow-up, more than 1,300 strokes occurred in the heart disease-free group and more than 1,000 strokes occurred in the heart disease group.

The researchers then used dietary information to determine the women's "total antioxidant capacity (TAC)," a measurement of the power of these food-borne compounds to cut down on disease-linked "free radicals" in cells. Cell damage caused by free radicals can lead to inflammation and damage and stiffening of blood vessels.

Among women with no history of heart disease, those with the highest levels of diet-based antioxidants had a 17 percent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest levels.

Benefits extended to women who'd already suffered heart disease. Among this group, women with higher levels of dietary antioxidant capacity had up to a 57 percent lower risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke compared to those with the lowest levels.

According to the study authors, fruits and vegetables contributed about 50 percent of antioxidant capacity in women with no history of heart disease who had the highest TAC. Other contributors included whole grains (18 percent), tea (16 percent) and chocolate (5 percent).

The study authors noted that the effect remained even after they accounted for other factors that often correlate with healthy diets, such as exercise or avoidance of smoking.

"Eating antioxidant-rich foods may reduce your risk of stroke by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation," first author Susanne Rautiainen, a doctoral student at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said in a journal news release. "This means people should eat more foods such as fruits and vegetables that contribute to total antioxidant capacity."

Other experts agreed.

"We've known for a long time that including antioxidants in the diet can have a positive effect on a variety of conditions, and there is no downside to including more of these foods in your diet," said Karen Congro, a nutritionist and director of the Wellness for Life Program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City.

"It would be very helpful to test these findings in a large clinical trial to determine how a high antioxidant diet impacts stroke," she added. "Since antioxidants are anti-inflammatories, their inclusion in a diet can have a positive impact for people at risk for a variety of conditions."

And one heart expert noted that diet, not supplements, may remain the best source of antioxidants.

"This [heart-healthy] diet was highest mostly in fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, tea and chocolate, whose antioxidant capacity, including vitamin C and E, carotenoids, and flavonoids have a beneficial effect," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She noted that although many prior trials "did not show benefit of antioxidant supplementation, clearly a diet high in antioxidants may provide protection against cardiovascular disease."

More information

The National Stroke Association has more about women and stroke.

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Optimism is associated with higher grades for female students, but lower marks for males, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel assessed the attitudes and grades of 174 business undergraduates (28 percent male, 72 percent female) aged 20 to 28.

The investigators found that female students who were more optimistic had higher grades than those who were less optimistic. However, high levels of optimism in male students tended to lead to overconfidence and less studying, resulting in lower grades, the findings indicated.

The study was presented earlier this year at the International Conference on Positive Psychology in Philadelphia.

"Optimism in male students can lead to overconfidence or an attitude of 'things will work out for the best,'" Tamar Icekson, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Business and Management, said in a university news release. "So instead of studying enough for a test, they go out the night before."

"For female students, optimism alone was beneficial because they're naturally more conscientious than their male counterparts," Icekson said. "Women have lower self-esteem and so if they are not sure things will work out, they study for the test."

While the study uncovered an association between attitude and grades, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains the link between health and academics.

TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Women in their 40s with no family history of breast cancer are just as likely to develop invasive breast cancer as women whose mother or sister has had the disease, according to a new study.

These preliminary findings support a recommendation for all women 40 to 49 to get annual mammograms, not just those with a family history of breast cancer, said Dr. Stamatia V. Destounis, a Rochester, N.Y., radiologist. Women with no family history are typically considered low-risk.

Destounis evaluated cancer patients who were seen from 2000 to 2010 at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Care facility, where she is a managing partner.

"Invasive cancer [cancer that spread to the lymph nodes] was diagnosed in 64 percent of patients without family history and 63 percent with," she said.

She is scheduled to present her findings Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.

During the decade studied, 373 women 40 to 49 years old were diagnosed with breast cancer after mammography screening at the center. Of the nearly 40 percent who had a family history (meaning a primary relative with the disease), 63.2 percent had invasive breast cancer, while in the no-family-history group, 64 percent of the patients had invasive disease. (Of those without a family history, 16 had a personal history of breast cancer.)

When the researchers looked at the cancers' aggressiveness, they found 29 percent of cancers in women without a family history and 31 percent of those with a family history had spread to the lymph nodes.

While some experts agree with Destounis that annual mammograms should begin at 40, others do not. The American Cancer Society recommends annual screening with mammograms for women starting at age 40. However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women 40 to 49 discuss screening with their doctor and then decide. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care earlier this month recommended that women age 40 to 49 at average risk not get routine mammograms.

"I don't see that this study helps inform a woman about whether she should start mammograms at age 40 or at age 50," said Dr. Michael LeFevre, co-vice-chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. One limitation of the study is that it was conducted at a single facility, a limitation that Destounis acknowledges. However, she said the women are ethnically diverse and from all income levels.

The study finding, LeFevre said, ''doesn't say anything about the probability of a woman dying in her 40s."

LeFevre also pointed out that "having an aunt die of breast cancer at age 85 is not the same as having a mother or sister with breast cancer at 42," when it comes to family history. When a woman discusses with her doctor when she should begin mammograms, LeFevre said that discussion should definitely include details about family history.

Destounis and some of her co-authors report being investigators for diagnostic imaging companies, including Siemens, Hologic and others. The study was not funded by outside sources, however, Destounis said.

Research presented at a medical conference is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

To learn more about mammograms, visit the American Cancer Society  .