Sugar practically screams from the shelves of your grocery store, especially those products marketed to kids. Children are the highest consumers of added sugar, even as high-sugar diets have been linked to health effects like obesity and heart disease and even impaired memory function. However, less is known about how high sugar consumption during childhood […]
Congressional Report Reveals Manufacturers ‘Knowingly’ Sold Toxin-Tainted Baby Food
Leading baby food manufacturers are selling—knowingly and without warning—unsafe products contaminated with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals that can cause serious and often irreversible damage to infant brain development, according to a new congressional investigation that is generating renewed calls for greater regulation of the industry. “Millions of babies are exposed to these contaminants every […]
Childhood diet has lifelong impact
Eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter your microbiome for life, even if you later learn to eat healthier, a new study in mice suggests. The study by UC Riverside researchers is one of the first to show a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria in […]
Popular Cold And Cough Treatment May Create Respiratory Distress In Young Children
New research out of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center suggests that Vicks® VapoRub®, the popular menthol compound used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may instead create respiratory distress in infants and small children. Vicks VapoRub may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have severe effects on breathing in an infant […]
Childhood cancer survivors who received chest irradiation at risk for pulmonary hypertension in middle age
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators found evidence that chest irradiation may leave some adult survivors of childhood cancer in danger of developing pulmonary hypertension in middle age. Childhood cancer survivors treated with chest irradiation or certain chemotherapy drugs are known to be at risk for a variety of treatment-related heart problems. But the study […]
Childhood cancer caused largely by environmental factors, report finds
For children in the U.S., cancer is the leading cause of death from disease. Worldwide, cancer has become so prevalent and devastating that some may use the phrase “like curing cancer” when describing something unfeasible or highly complicated. Yet in September, a team of more than 60 stakeholders and leaders in the health, science, business, policy and advocacy sectors […]
Choosing low-fat milk over whole milk could increase your risk for health problems
A systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies has found that children who drank whole milk had 40 per cent lower odds of being overweight or obese compared with children who consumed reduced-fat milk. The research was led by the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health Toronto, and included analysis of […]
Maternal nut consumption during pregnancy linked to improvements in neurodevelopment in children
Nuts are known to help reduce the risk of hypertension, oxidative stress and diabetes and they may exercise a protective effect against cognitive decline in older age. To this list of beneficial health effects, we can now add new evidence from a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institute supported […]
Toxic flame retardants are in children’s car seats
In a new study, Indiana University scientists found toxic flame retardants in newly manufactured children’s car seats, sparking concerns about children’s health. Of the 18 children’s car seats tested, 15 contained new or traditional hazardous flame retardant chemicals. “New replacement flame retardants, often marketed as safer alternatives, are lurking in children’s products without rigorous safety […]
Pediatricians issue warning for parents not to microwave your kids’ food in plastic
Pediatricians have issued a warning for parents: don’t microwave your kids‘ food in plastic. Doctors say chemicals in the plastic pose health risks to children. The American Academy of Pediatrics say – in a statement published online – “that growing evidence that some chemicals found in food colorings, preservatives, and packaging materials may harm children’s health.” The Academy says […]