Study findings indicate that there is insufficient data to conclude that dust and pollution in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly from the burn pits used by the military to incinerate garbage, could cause long-term health problems in troops.

The Millennium Cohort Study is currently enrolling invited personnel and expects to add 50,000 service members to reach a goal of over 200,000 participants by early 2012.

Participants who engaged in less physical activity were more likely to screen positive for PTSD. Those who reported at least 20 minutes of vigorous activity twice a week had significantly reduced odds for new-onset and persistent PTSD symptoms.

Service members with one or more mental health disorders prior to deployment were two- and-a-half times more likely to screen positive for PTSD post-deployment compared to those with no mental health disorders, after controlling for pre-deployment PTSD, physical injury severity and a host of other risk factors.

For military personnel, having at least one psychiatric disorder before deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan appears to increase the likelihood of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after deployment, the prospective Millennium Cohort Study showed.

Military personnel who have a psychiatric disorder prior to deployment or who've been injured during combat are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after they return home.

Service members who were currently deployed or had returned from a deployment had significantly shorter adjusted sleep duration and increased adjusted odds of reporting trouble sleeping compared to those who had not deployed.

Returning servicemembers are among the some 40 million Americans who suffer from chronic long term sleep disorders, and, for reasons ranging from disrupted sleep during deployment

A newly published study finds that PTSD symptoms at baseline, but not other mental health symptoms, are significantly associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes among military service members. Increases in the prevalence of PTSD among the military population could have an impact on rates of physical disorders, such as diabetes, in the coming years.

Getting a good night's sleep is much more difficult for military personnel who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new study of sleep patterns in the military. The scientific research confirms what plenty of soldiers, Marines and other members of the U.S. military have already experienced firsthand.