SCIENCE REPORT

Time of baby’s delivery might affect mom’s health

A mother’s health during a hospital birth might be affected in part by the time of day and the kind of hospital.

For a recent study, researchers recorded maternal complications in more than 2 million births.

Compared with daytime deliveries on weekdays, the risk for complications during night shifts was 21 percent higher. On weekends, it was 9 percent higher and on holidays 29 percent higher.

The researchers also found an increased risk of 28 percent in teaching hospitals in July, when new residents begin their training. This difference was reduced to statistical insignificance by the following June.

Statins might increase the risk of diabetes

The link between statin use and the development of Type 2 diabetes could be even stronger than previously believed, a new study suggests.

Researchers studied 8,567 men and women whose average age was 64. All were free of diabetes and not taking statins when the study started.

In a follow-up over 15 years, about 12 percent of the group started taking statins to control cholesterol. Most took them for more than a year, and there were 716 new cases of diabetes in the group.

The researchers found that statin use was associated with higher risk for insulin resistance and high blood sugar, and with a 38 percent increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes. The brand of statin and the dosage made no difference, but the risk was especially high in statin users who were overweight or obese.