More than a decade ago, the Obama administration passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 as a way to counter the toll the obesity epidemic was taking on children’s health. The goal was to markedly improve the nutritional value of federal food programs that regularly put free and/or low-cost breakfasts, lunches and snacks on… read on > read on >
What do race and early education have to do with dementia risk among seniors? Quite a bit, a new study suggests. Researchers spent decades tracking the onset of dementia among nearly 21,000 U.S. seniors, before reaching two main conclusions. The first is that seniors who, as kids, were educated in states that generally had shorter… read on > read on >
Running is a fantastic workout. It burns fat, improves heart function and strengthens bones. Yet, that first step out the door in a new pair of running shoes might seem intimidating. It can also cause injury if you’re not properly prepared. That’s why it’s helpful to know the basics about beginning this more intense exercise… read on > read on >
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — Maternal exposure to air pollution may raise the risk for heart defects in an unborn child, according to new research from China that suggests the risks are just as high in the three months prior to pregnancy as they are during the mother’s first trimester. “It… read on > read on >
A highly infectious strain of avian influenza is tearing through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, causing egg prices to rise as sick chickens are culled across the United States. Now, some experts are worried that the H5N1 avian flu might become humankind’s next pandemic-causing pathogen, if the raging virus makes the leap from birds to… read on > read on >
Children who were exposed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications their moms took during pregnancy are not more prone to neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD or autism, researchers report. The news may be welcome to women who’ve needed to take ADHD medication throughout their pregnancy. “We can see that the number of women of… read on > read on >
Doctors have dubbed kids’ progression from eczema to asthma the “atopic march,” and they know more about how it affects white children than their Black counterparts. Research scheduled for presentation at an upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) sheds new light on racial disparities. The atopic march typically begins… read on > read on >
Type 1 diabetes has long been considered a thin person’s disease, but a new study challenges that notion. About 62% of adults with type 1 diabetes were overweight or obese, the researchers found. That compared to 64% of those without diabetes and 86% of those with type 2 diabetes. For the study, the researchers used… read on > read on >
A growing number of U.S. kids are landing in hospital emergency rooms for a mental health crisis. Now a new study finds that many do not get follow-up care after they’re discharged. Experts said the findings, published Feb. 13 in the journal Pediatrics, are yet more evidence of the cracks in the nation’s mental health… read on > read on >
MONDAY, Feb. 13, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — A woman’s heart health prior to becoming pregnant greatly affects her risk for pregnancy-related complications and the long-term cardiovascular health of both mother and child, according to a new report that calls for greater attention to the issue. Improving maternal heart health during this critical period… read on > read on >
