Milk allergy affects more than half of American infants who have food allergies in their first year of life, a new study finds. However, study lead author Christopher Warren said, “Our findings suggest that while milk allergy is relatively common during infancy, many children are likely to outgrow their milk allergies. “We observed that while…  read on >

The “hygiene hypothesis” holds that early exposure to a variety of microorganisms may decrease the risk for chronic inflammatory diseases, like asthma. Two Swedish studies that tracked 650,000 children found that exposure to farm animals and even dogs can have this kind of beneficial effect. Living on a farm cut kids’ asthma rate by half.…  read on >

Aerosol products are found in every household but can be potential killers, doctors warn. Highlighting the dangers posed by “huffing,” Dutch physicians outline the tragic case of a 19-year-old who died after inhaling spray deodorant to get high. The teenager, who’d been in a residential drug rehabilitation program, died of cardiac arrest soon after, according…  read on >

Coffee’s bitter taste shouldn’t be a selling point. But a genetic variant explains why so many people love the brew, a new study suggests. Bitterness evolved as a natural warning system to protect people from harmful substances. That means they should want to spit out coffee, the researchers said. But their study of more than…  read on >

Obesity in the teen years may increase the risk of developing deadly pancreatic cancer in adulthood, researchers report. The odds for this rare cancer can quadruple due to obesity, the Israeli research team found. Moreover, the risk rises as weight increases, even affecting men in the high normal weight range. “It’s been known for some…  read on >

Twenty percent of homicides of U.S. children ages 2 to 14 years are related to intimate partner violence, a new study indicates. That’s double the rate in the National Violent Death Reporting System, according to Harvard School of Public Health researchers. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on nearly 1,400 children in 16 states…  read on >

A young child who has chronic anxiety may have trouble learning, Harvard University researchers say. Fears of the dark, monsters or strangers are common and are considered normal and usually temporary. But when fears extend to physical, sexual or emotional abuse, they can affect a child’s developing brain, the researchers noted. The school’s Center on…  read on >

Kids who were born large and whose mothers developed a form of diabetes during pregnancy have nearly triple the odds of becoming overweight or obese in childhood, new research shows. “Just like smoking, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle choices, [women’s] weight prior to getting pregnant, and weight gain and blood sugar control during pregnancy may…  read on >

Many women have nausea during the first trimester of pregnancy, sometimes called morning sickness. Symptoms tend to ease as the pregnancy progresses. The American Pregnancy Association suggests how to help manage morning sickness: Eat non-spicy foods rich in vitamin B6, including wholegrain wheat and other cereals, seeds and nuts, fruits such as bananas or papayas,…  read on >