According to Charles Yesalis, Penn State professor of exercise and sports science, the short answer is yes. "Considering available scientific evidence and overwhelmingly consistent anecdotal reports of athletes, we can conclude anabolic steroids are associated with increase in strength," writes Yesalis in the book Anabolic Steroids in Sport and Exercise.

In four separate studies of mothers and their infants, preschoolers, kids and teens, a multi-university research team has shown, for the first time, that a simple test of a little drool can provide new insight into the role of social stressors, including relationships with parents and teachers, in child development. The test monitors alpha amylase, an enzyme secreted by the salivary glands, that has been linked in adults to the sympathetic nervous system's (SNS) fight or flight response. Now, in these new studies, alpha amylase has been shown to be a marker for the SNS response in children, too. The current findings suggest that social forces largely determine individual differences in alpha amylase levels. The social stressors used in the studies included babies being gently restrained by a stranger and the older children having to complete a frustrating task, interact with a teacher, or be evaluated. Social relationships with mothers and teachers also were found to influence alpha amylase levels. Douglas A. Granger, associate professor of biobehavioral health and human development and family studies at Penn State, is first author of the team's recently published paper on the study.

In a recent Penn State laboratory study, preschool children who usually eat meals at home while watching TV ate one-third more lunch when they were shown a cartoon video during lunchtime versus when they ate lunch without TV. The children who did not eat in front of the TV at home and for whom TV viewing during meals and snack was novel, actually ate significantly less on the days the lunchtime cartoon was shown compared to the days on which there was no video. "The study shows that TV viewing can either increase or decrease preschool children's food intakes and suggests that when children consistently view TV during meals, TV viewing may distract children from normal fullness cues which can lead to overeating in children as it may in adults," said Lori Francis, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and first author of the recently published paper on the study. In their paper, the researchers write, "To promote self-regulation of energy intake in young children, parents and caregivers should be advised against providing opportunities for children to eat during TV viewing."

Penn State researchers have shown that a simple saliva test may offer a new way to probe the physical consequences of caffeine coupled with stress. Laura Klein, associate professor of biobehavioral health, who led the study, explains that people's fight or flight response produces not only the familiar dry mouth, pounding heart and sweaty palms that accompany a stressful experience but also body chemistry changes that could result in health consequences. Using doses of caffeine equivalent to drinking one to four cups of coffee and an intense arithmetic test as stressors, Klein and her colleagues found a rise in the amount of alpha amylase, an enzyme secreted by the salivary glands, in the healthy young men who participated in the study.

Penn State researchers have found differences between high school principals' and foodservice directors' perceptions of "competitive food" policies that highlight the need for communication among key stakeholders addressing new wellness policy development mandated by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Elaine McDonnell, project coordinator who led the study, says, "Competitive foods are those sold on K through 12 school campuses that compete with school meals. Currently, school meals must meet nutrient standards and the Dietary Guidelines but competitive foods are only minimally regulated and are often low in nutritional value." The competitive food regulatory situation is, however, mandated for change. The new law requires sponsors of school meal programs to develop wellness polices by the 2006-2007 school year that address childhood obesity. Local communities must develop nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages sold on their high school and elementary school campuses, including competitive foods offered as a la carte items, in vending machines, in school stores and through school fundraisers and parties.

Penn State researchers have identified three previously unreported factors that foil the efforts of high school students to make healthy food choices - early lunch, school income from soft drink incentives, and parents who bring fast food to the cafeteria for their kids. Claudia Probart, associate professor of nutritional sciences who led the study, says, "This new information may be useful to school wellness councils as they work toward developing wellness policies as mandated by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 as well as structuring school environments to promote more healthful food choices by students." The Penn State researchers sent surveys to school foodservice directors at half (271) of the public high schools in Pennsylvania and received 84 percent participation. The study is detailed in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in a paper, Factors Associated With The Offering and Sale of Competitive Foods and School Lunch Participation.

Long-term, low-quality marriages have significant effects on overall well-being, according to a recent study by Penn State researchers. Daniel Hawkins, graduate student, and Alan Booth, distinguished professor of sociology, human development and family studies and demography, said that people who remain unhappily married suffer from lower levels of self-esteem, overall health, overall happiness, and life satisfaction along with elevated levels of psychological distress, in contrast to those in long-term happy marriages. Booth states, "Unhappily married people may have greater odds of improving their well-being by dissolving their low-quality unions as there is no evidence that they are better off in any aspect of overall well-being than those who divorce." Until now, the impact of remaining in an unhappy marriage for a number of years has received little attention. Social scientists have consistently found that married individuals have better psychological and physical well-being than those who are single or divorced. Similarly, research has demonstrated the detrimental impact of divorce on the well-being of individuals.