In Brief: Sep. 11, 2000

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DON'T CLEAN YOUR PLATE A Penn State study has found that children learn to overeat at a very young age. When preschoolers were given larger-than-usual servings of macaroni and cheese, those who were 3 1/2 years old ate only as much as a normal serving size and left the rest, while 5-year-olds continued to eat past the point of hunger. Researchers say this shows that kids have a natural instinct to regulate eating, but by age 5 many learn to ignore it, often at the urging of parents and other caregivers.

SHARING DRUGS Most children are warned about strangers offering drugs, but a new survey by Phoenix House, a substance-abuse service organization, finds that parents who grew up in the drug culture of the '60s and '70s can be more of a danger. The study found that 1 in 5 drug abusers in treatment programs had used illegal drugs with his parents. Most did so while they were in high school. Nineteen percent of addicts were introduced to drug use by a parent or older sibling. By contrast, less than 1% had been introduced to drugs by a pusher.

FOR BETTER, NOT WORSE A recent study at Ohio State University has found that marriage is good for mental health. Sociologists found that over a five-year period, getting married or staying married alleviated the symptoms of depression much more than being single, divorced or cohabiting. Remarriage also improved mental health but not as much as first marriages. Even unhappily married depressives fared better than singles. Researchers theorize that marital feelings of support and stability may account for a stronger sense of well-being.

--By Lisa McLaughlin