There have been good and bad changes to U.S. children’s diets during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say. “Providing healthy meals and snacks to our kids can be a challenge even when we’re not experiencing a pandemic,” said senior study author Susan Carnell. She’s an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins…  read on >  read on >

Could wearing two masks be better than one? The emergence of new and more infectious COVID-19 variants has led health experts to consider “double masking” as a potential way to better protect yourself and those around you. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether donning a medical mask underneath a typical…  read on >  read on >

People who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine don’t have to work hard to find internet rumors and theories that will fuel their fears regarding the vaccine’s safety. That’s because anti-vaccine groups and individuals are working overtime to promote frightening, false theories about the two COVID-19 vaccines that have now been administered to more…  read on >  read on >

A research team studying live streams of high school graduations from last July found that most high schoolers are willing to wear masks. Students just need more education on how to wear them properly, as well as information about the importance of being consistent, researchers said. “The key to preventing the spread of the COVID-19…  read on >  read on >

There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of…  read on >  read on >

Some states have started to ease tight social distancing restrictions as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations begin to plateau across the United States. Still, the emergence of more infectious coronavirus variants in this country has prompted many officials to proceed cautiously on reopening their economies, the Associated Press reported. The recipe for the balancing act seems…  read on >  read on >

An experimental gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy shows promise, a small study suggests. The severe form of muscular dystrophy — which affects about one in 3,500 males born each year in the United States — causes muscles to progressively weaken and lose the ability to regenerate after an injury. Muscle tissue is eventually replaced…  read on >  read on >

Too much screen time can make your toddler more distractible, British researchers warn. The use of smartphones and tablets by babies and toddlers has soared in recent years. “The first few years of life are critical for children to learn how to control their attention and ignore distraction, early skills that are known to be…  read on >  read on >