Soft Drink Consumption Linked to Youth Violence
October 25, 2011 — Public health researchers and nutrition advocates have criticized consumption of carbonated soft drinks because they may fill people up with empty calories, sugar, and caffeine, but new research published online October 24 in Injury Prevention suggests that the drinks also may be linked with, or may be a strong marker for, violent behavior in teenagers.
“This is the first study to suggest such an association,” said David Hemenway, MD, professor of public health and director of the Injury Control Center at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and the study’s lead author, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.
After controlling for sex, age, race, body mass index, typical sleep patterns, tobacco use, alcohol use, and having family dinners, the investigators found that high consumption of carbonated, nondiet soft drinks was associated with a statistically significant 9% to 15% greater likelihood of engaging in aggressive behaviors. Heavy soft drink use had about the same effect as tobacco and alcohol on violence.
“This is just one study, and it needs to be looked at in more detail.” Dr. Hemenway said. He was reluctant to call it a cause-and-effect relationship, stressing that the exact sugar or caffeine content in the soft drinks was “unknown,” and that “possibly other factors not accounted for in our analysis are related to high soft drink consumption and aggression.”
Dr. Hemenway and coauthors found that teenagers who drank more than five 12-ounce cans of carbonated soft drinks each week were more likely to carry a weapon and commit violence against friends, dates, and siblings. The study also found that the relationship appears to be a dose–response relationship, with the strongest relationships shown for teenagers drinking 14 or more cans per week. Of those adolescents, 42.7% carried a gun or knife, 58.6% were violent toward their peers, 26.9% were violent toward dates, and 45.3% perpetrated violence toward other children in their family. These percentages were significantly higher than in each of the 3 other consumption categories (?1 can, 2 – 4 cans, and 5 – 7 cans in the last 7 days), and there was a statistically significant, linear increase in consumption linked to each of the 4 violence behaviors (P ? .001). Nearly 1 in 3 students were drinking at least 5 cans of carbonated soft drinks.
The study used self-report data from the Boston Youth Survey, a biennial, paper-and-pencil survey of ninth- to twelfth-grade students in Boston public schools to evaluate the effect of soft drink use on aggressive and violent behavior.
The 2725 high school students selected for the study were not representative of adolescents across the United States: 50% were black or multiracial, 33% were Hispanic, 9% were white, and 8% were Asian. Of these groups, only Asians were found to drink much less than the others.
The study was not able to show a relationship between soft drink consumption and obesity, which has been shown in other studies. Heavy soft drink use was also associated with other dimensions; for example, getting insufficient sleep and using alcohol and tobacco within the past 30 days.
Dr. Hemenway acknowledged several study limitations, including the self-report of the data, the generalizability to other adolescents, and the lack of information on the sodas themselves. In the discussion section, the authors write that a “direct-cause-and effect relationship between soft drink consumption and aggression is one possibility,” adding that “various ingredients, including carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sodium benzoate, phosphoric or citric acid, and often caffeine…might affect behaviour.”
The author introduces his study by reminding readers of the “Twinkie defense,” which was used successfully to reduce Dan White’s conviction from homicide to manslaughter for the 1978 killing of San Francisco City District Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone.
“I am totally not convinced,” noted Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Pauline Goddard professor of nutrition, food policies, and public health at New York University School of Medicine, New York City, in an email to Medscape Medical News.” As I said, I’m no fan of sodas, but [it] defies common sense.”
Dr. Nestle also was not impressed with the study design. She noted: “This looks like a ‘tracking’ study to me. I don’t see how the study can conclude anything specific about soft drinks except guilt by association.” She added that “poor kids drink more soft drinks than rich kids, and they are marketed to more aggressively.
“If it turns out that alcohol and junk food diets can be linked to negative behaviors,” she said, “[s]oda companies will reap what they sowed when they focused so much marketing on low-income, minority communities.”
The study was supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was externally peer reviewed. The authors and Dr. Nestle have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Injury Prev. Published online October 24, 2011. Abstract
Why Vitamin K2 is So Important for Your Kids
Great new for parents who buy Kids Potential …
We added Natural Dairy & Casein-Free Vitamin K2, as MK-7, to Kids Potential for healthy bone density to help them develop healthy, strong bones beginning early in life. Here is a re-post of relevant scientific research that gives you some idea of why Vitamin K2 is an important nutrient for your growing children.
Learn more here: Kids Potential and www.mykidspotential.com.
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Findings of a new study published in British Journal of Nutrition 2009 by van Summeren and colleagues demonstrated that even modest supplementation with menaquinone-7 in children increases activation of osteocalcin, the bone-building protein; and in that way supports healthy bone growth and development. This is an important finding as the greater bone mineral established during childhood and early adult years, culminating in peak bone mineral density around 30 years of age, allows for better maintenance of bone health as we age and lose bone mass.
The present study is a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study examining the effect of 45 mcg natural vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on the circulating levels of the vitamin K-dependent protein Osteocalcin. Active osteocalcin is required for bone-building cells (osteoblasts) to optimally utilize calcium for building and maintaining a healthy bone matrix. 8 weeks of supplementation in healthy prepubertal children increased blood levels of vitamin K2 as MK-7 and significantly increased the amount of active osteocalcin.
According to Professor Cees Vermeer at the VitaK research center, “Non-supplemented people are generally insufficient in vitamin K. It has been demonstrated that children are far more vitamin K deficient than adults. We explain this by the rapid growth of their bones and consequently the high vitamin K demand by the bones for the production of osteocalcin. The present study is the first one to demonstrate that increased vitamin K intake by supplement improves the osteocalcin activity in children. The next step must be that also an effect of MK-7 on bone strength or fracture risk is demonstrated in this age group. There is a growing awareness that maximizing bone strength at childhood is an important strategy to prevent osteoporosis at later age.”
Osteocalcin – the potent protein
Osteocalcin is a protein responsible for utilization of calcium within bone tissue – it has the ability to bind calcium to the matrix of bones, which makes them stronger and less susceptible to fractures. Without sufficient amounts of vitamin K in the diet, or in cases of Vitamin K deficiency, inactive osteocalcin is not able to bind calcium properly, and thus the bones weaken and become fragile.
Strong bones – best investment for the future
Children have the greatest requirement for active osteocalcin and thus for K vitamins because bone tissue grows and develops most intensively during childhood and adolescence. The higher peak mass young bones achieve, the lower the risk of osteoporotic changes in the elderly. Hence, the optimal pubertal status of bone is important to prevent disorders in later life.
Benefits scientifically proven
Results of the new study clearly confirm outcomes of previous laboratory experiments, population-based (i.e., epidemiological) studies and clinical trials that have tightly linked better vitamin K status in children to the achievement of a healthy, strong bone-structure. Simplified, improving vitamin K status in children results in stronger and denser bones. Additional K vitamins intake might also improve bone geometry and positively influence gain in bone mass. That contributing effect has been recently reported by O’Connor et al , who, while conducting a study in a cohort of 223 healthy girls (11-12 years old), found better K vitamin status related to higher bone mineral density.
Warfarin, a commonly prescribed blood-thinning medication, inhibits vitamin K activity. A study of children with long-standing vitamin K deficiency induced by this drug were shown to have a significantly reduced bone mass, which illustrates the potential consequences of K vitamins deficiency in growing bones.
China Leaps Ahead of the US in Banning BPA in Baby Bottles
China bans Bisphenol-A in baby bottles -vows death penalty for serious safety breaches
China has become the latest country to ban the use of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles, while Government officials signalled increasing use of the death penalty to crack down on food safety violators. BPA is currently banned in Europe, Canada and the United Arab emirates.
The Ministry of Health, in conjunction with five other government bodies, issued notices yesterday confirming that inclusion of BPA in the manufacture of infant bottles would be outlawed as of June 1, 2011.
From September 1, 2011 on, it will be illegal to import or sell any BPA-containing baby bottles, said the notice.
Beijing also urged local food inspectors to step up scrutiny on baby bottle producers to ensure compliance with the new measure.
The European Union announced at the end of last year that it was banning BPA in baby bottles. Production of containers with BPA was prohibited from March 1, 2001, with a ban on the importation and sale due to come into force June 1, 2011.
BPA is a monomer used in the manufacture of polycarbonate bottles. Its continued use in food contact materials remains a source of ongoing debate as it has been linked with serious health problems – including cancer, birth defects and heart disease. However, major food safety agencies across the globe – including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – have declared it poses no health hazards at current levels.
Death penalty
Further to Beijing’s target announced a few months ago of punishing food safety violations more severely, government chiefs have ordered the courts to hand out stiffer penalties to offenders.
The Supreme People’s Court said judges should impose the death penalty to those guilty of food safety crimes that result in human fatalities.
Those convicted of committing several violations in the same case – such as production and sale of counterfeit and sub-standard goods – should receive the harshest punishment available, added a Supreme Court notice last week.
Offenders should also be fined more heavily and/or banned from producing food.
Food crime team
A leading Beijing official announced the likely formation of a crack police squad to clamp down on the rising number of adulteration scandals amid growing public concern.
Ji Lin, vice-mayor of the city and director of the city’s food safety commission, said the new team would target the surroundings between the urban and rural areas as they had become production hotbeds for counterfeit or unsafe food.
MyKidsPotential.com Help Your Child Succeed
www.mykidspotential.com
is our new website devoted to Kids Potential – the first kids vitamin patented for “learning, academic & behavioral functioning.”* (Patent 7,771,756)
Kids Potential is:
- Dispensed in schools as part of a program to improve learning, test scores & behavior
- All natural, no colors, flavors, preservatives or other unnecessary additives
- Designed to support brain function in children
- Patented for learning
- Endorsed by an entire school district and underwritten by a State Department of Education
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Study: Poor Childhood Diet Linked to Low IQ – Vitamins Can Help
A diet high in fats, sugars, and processed foods in early childhood may result in lower IQ scores, while a diet rich in healthy foods packed with vitamins and nutrients may work in reverse, suggests new research.
The study, published in BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, reports a “weak but novel” association between dietary patterns in early childhood, and general intelligence assessed at eight and a half years of age.
The results of the study suggest that the eating habits in early childhood – particularly up until the age of three – may play a role in shaping the development of the brain, and thus affect behaviour, learning performance and IQ in later life.
“In this population of contemporary British children, a poor diet, associated with increased intake of processed foods, fat and sugar, in early childhood may be associated with lower IQ at the age of 8.5 years. In addition, a concurrent healthy diet may be associated with higher IQ,” said the researchers, led by Dr Kate Northstone from the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol, UK.
The importance of healthy diets
Commenting on the new study, Barbara Gallani director of food safety and science at the UK’s Food and Drink Federation told FoodNavigator that it would not be surprising if a healthy, balanced diet is important in IQ development, “just like it is generally for children’s health and growth.”
She added that it is important for everyone, not just children, to eat a wide variety of foods, noting that it is possible eat a healthy diet and still include some ‘treat’ foods.
Gallani said that food manufacturers are leading the way when it comes to providing clear labelling on foods, as well as changing recipes to make old favourites healthier, which “makes it even easier for parents to choose a balanced diet that’s right for their families.”
An intelligent diet
Northstone and her colleagues noted that previous research investigating possible associations between nutrition and IQ in children have tended to focus on the use of dietary supplements or on intakes of specific nutrients.
For example, several studies have examined the effects of vitamin supplementation on IQ in children, with mixed results.
However, the authors said that studies investigating the long-term effects of nutrition on intelligence are sparse and conflicting. “In particular …there appears to be little known about the effects of the diet in early childhood on general intelligence later in life,” they said.
“We do not eat foods in isolation, rather consuming combinations of foods in meals and snacks,” explained the authors.
“Assessing dietary patterns as opposed to individual foods or nutrients allows to us take into account these intercorrelations, which may otherwise be overlooked,” they said.
The new cross sectional study, based on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), examined the links between dietary patterns through early and mid-childhood (3 to 8.5 years) and IQ assessed at 8.5 years of age.
Study details
The researchers measured dietary patterns using principal-components analysis (PCA), which provide overall summaries of dietary intake. The diet data, measured at the ages of 3, 4, 7 and 8.5 was then examined for any associations between diet and IQ in nearly 4,000 children.
Three consistent dietary patterns were found from PCA at each time point: a ‘processed’, ‘traditional’ and ‘health conscious’ pattern.
The ‘processed’ pattern was illustrated by foods containing high fat and sugar content and by higher intakes of processed and convenience foods. The ‘traditional’ pattern was associated with consumption of generally home cooked meat, poultry, potato and vegetables, whilst the ‘health-conscious’ pattern was predominantly made up from high intakes of salads, fruit, vegetables, fish, pasta and rice.
“On minimal adjustment, all dietary pattern scores were associated with IQ with the exception of the ‘traditional’ pattern,” said the authors.
Before adjustment for confounding factors (such as parental influence, social and economic status, and other environmental factors) the researchers observed that the ‘processed’ food pattern was negatively associated with IQ at all ages, while the ‘health-conscious’ pattern at all ages were positively associated with IQ.
However, after adjustment for a wide variety of potential confounding factors, they reported that many associations between IQ and dietary pattern were lost, and those that remained (‘processed’ pattern at three years and ‘health-conscious’ patterns at 8.5 years) “were markedly attenuated”, according to the authors.
For the remaining relationships (after full adjustment) the ‘processed’ food pattern at 3 years was found to be such that a one point increase in the PCA score resulted in an almost two-point decrease in IQ at 8.5 years. Whilst the ‘health-conscious’ pattern was associated with an increased in IQ of 1.20 points per one point increase in PCA pattern score.
Interpretation
Northstone and colleagues said that the results of the study suggest a more “long-term effect of diet on the child’s ability to ‘learn’,” they noted that this could be in part be explained by favourable growth of the brain in early childhood – They noted that it is known that the brain grows at its fastest rate during the first 3 years of life.
“Studies have shown that head growth during this time is associated with cognitive outcome, and it is possible that good nutrition during this early period may encourage optimal brain growth,” said the authors.
However, they added that given the levels of attenuation seen in the effect sizes when adjusted for confounding factors, “we cannot exclude the possibility of residual confounding.”
Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1136/jech.2010.111955
“Are dietary patterns in childhood associated with IQ at 8 years of age? A population-based cohort study”
K. Northstone, C. Joinson, P. Emmett, A. Ness, T. Paus
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Kids Potential is the first kids multi-vitamin patented as a “nutritional supplement to enhance learning, academic and behavioral functioning.” Patent #7,771,756
Over 8 years of experience in public schools shows that Kids Potential has a positive impact on learning, academic and behavioral performance in children.
Learn more here: Kids Potential.
Buy Kids Potential by clicking here.
Can You Guess How Much Sugar You Eat Daily?
Did you know…?
Th
e average American eats his or her weight in sugar every year.
Typically, an individual consumes 50 teaspoons of sugar a day, often without realizing it.
Most dietary sugar is hidden in processed and packaged foods.
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Sugar lurks in a variety of food, drinks, supplements and even in kids vitamins!
That is just one of the ways in which Kids Potential is so different from mass market kids multi-vitamins. Kids Potential is naturally sweetened with the sweetness of all natural stevia leaf extract and contains no sucrose, fructose or artificial sweeteners. You can learn more here: Kids Potential.
Here is a list of what you WON’T find in Kids Potential:
- No Artificial Flavors
- No Artificial Colors
- No Artificial Sweeteners
- No Preservatives
- No Aspartame
- No Acesulfame
- No Fructose
- No Saccharin
- No Sucralose
- No Sugar or Sucrose
- No Dairy
- No Egg
- No Salt
- No Wheat
- No Gluten
- No Yeast
- No Starch
- No Milk
- No Lactose
- No Corn
- No Soy
- No Carageenan
- No Peanuts
- No Tree Nuts
- No Caffeine
- No Herbal Stimulants
- No Animal Products
Possible Link Between Digestive Problems & Depression/Anxiety?
DIGESTIVE IRRITATION IN NEWBORNS MAY CAUSE LIFELONG DEPRESSION
A new study has found that short-term gastrointestinal irritation in the first days of life can permanently re-set the brain to a state of depression or anxiety, suggesting that digestive problems may actually be the cause of certain psychological disorders, and not the result of them as is commonly assumed.
Because not all stomach upsets result in lifelong depressive or psychological disorders, the researchers speculate that the impact of gastric irritation may depend on when it occurs during the development of the genetic makeup of the affected person. Past research shows that individuals who suffer from functional dyspepsia (persistent or recurring pain in the upper abdomen), a group making up about 15-20 percent of the population, are also more likely than others to be depressed or anxious.
Conventional wisdom has held that stress hormones associated with altered mood cause digestive disturbances; however, the gut and brain are actually hard-wired together by the vagus nerve, which sends signals in both directions from the brain to the internal organs.
This just-released study will not be published until a future issue of the journal PLoS One. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/iPmy4w without charge.
Study: How Omega-3 in Pregnancy is Linked to Childhood Obesity
Adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy may lower the risk of childhood obesity by 32%, according to new research from Harvard Medical School.
The study, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined the relationship between the type of fat a mother consumed at mid-pregnancy and whether her child was obese at age 3 – determined by body mass index (BMI) and skinfold measurements.
The researchers, led by Dr. Emily Oken, associate professor in the department of population medicine, reported that enhanced maternal-fetal omega-3 status was associated with lower childhood obesity.
“We examined the extent to which prenatal omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA concentrations were associated with childhood adiposity,” wrote Onken and her colleagues.
“A higher ratio of cord plasma omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was associated with higher subscapular and triceps [skinfold thicknesses] and odds of obesity,” they said.
Omega-3 and obesity
The consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, most notably EPA and DHA, is associated with several health benefits, including improving of lipid metabolism, preventing coronary heart diseases, and reducing inflammatory responses. In addition, omega-3s have been suggested to reduce fat levels in animals fed a high-fat diet.
Onken and her colleagues explained that a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found mainly in fish and seafood, in addition to a presence of large amounts of omega-6s has been suggested to be a risk factor in the development of obesity.
Previous research in animals found that such imbalances in the types of fatty acids in the diet, promotes the development of fat tissue. However, the authors noted that very few studies have investigated these effects in human populations.
Study details
Onken and her colleagues reported that around one fifth expectant mothers ate more than 2 fish meals per week at mid-pregnancy, however only about half of these women achieved the recommend intake of DHA of 200 mg per day.
The authors said that such an observation suggests although pregnant women ate fish, they did not consume enough of the species known to contain high amounts of DHA, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel.
Only 3% of pregnant women in the study were found to consume the recommended intake of 200 mg/day of DHA in the last month of pregnancy. Onken and her team noted that this is the time when large amounts of DHA are transferred from the mother to the infant to support brain development.
The research team then calculated the odds for obesity in the offspring at age 3 according to the mother’s omega-3 fatty acid intake and the level of omega-6s and omega-3s in cord blood at delivery.
Onken and her co-workers reported the odds of obesity in 3-year-olds were between 2 and 4 times higher when cord blood had a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.
In contrast, the odds of obesity were 32% lower when maternal consumption of omega-3s was high or if the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 was at close to recommended levels.
The Harvard research team noted that the study is the first indications from human data that low intakes of omega-3s in the presence of large amounts of omega-6s during pregnancy might affect the chance of obesity in the offspring.
“These findings need to be confirmed by others. It will also be important to demonstrate that making deliberate changes to a woman’s fat intake during pregnancy has desirable effects on weight and fatness in children,” they added.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume 93, Issue 4, Pages 780-788, doi: 10.3945/?ajcn.110.005801
“Prenatal fatty acid status and child adiposity at age 3 y: results from a US pregnancy cohort”
Authors: S. M Donahue, S.L Rifas-Shiman, D.R. Gold, Z.E Jouni, M.W Gillman, E. Oken.
Alcohol Marketing & Impact on Adolescents
Alcohol marketing is effective.
Although profitable for the manufacturers, the detrimental results seen in American adolescents — who are not the target audience — are increased frequencies of drinking and binge drinking, which could be a prelude to alcohol-related behavioral and health problems in later life.
The findings from a pair of studies were presented by Susanne Tanski, MD, from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of Pediatrics, Lebanon, New Hampshire, here at the Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research 2011 Annual Meeting.
In any given month, approximately 40% of American high-school students drink alcohol. Of these, nearly 25% will binge drink, consuming 5 or more drinks in succession.
“The alcohol industry works hard to get our money, with $17 billion spent on ads in 2009 [in the United States]. The goal is to create brand loyalty, and alcohol ads link drinking with partying and having fun,” Dr. Tanski told Medscape Medical News.
Surprisingly little is known about whether alcohol marketing is a risk factor for alcohol abuse in adolescents, Dr. Tanski noted.
In the first study, of the 328 adolescents (18 to 23 years of age; 164 males, 164 females) who participated, 58% had drunk in the previous month and 62% had binged. The anonymous Web survey was a “cue-based” recall of television ads, in which still images from 39 alcohol ads and 15 fast food ads with the identifying brand name/logo digitally obscured were viewed. A 4-point scale was used to determine whether participants had seen the ad and whether they could identify the brand.
The ad responses were linked to responses concerning drinking intensity (recall of the number of times drinking and the number of times binge drinking in the previous 30 days), glass size of a typical drink corresponding to photos of various beverage glasses, and abuse of alcohol in the previous year. The latter category included the number of episodes of vomiting (54% of respondents), passing out (23%), and memory loss (38%) after drinking.
When age, sex, ownership of alcohol-branded clothes/other merchandise, professed preference in alcohol brand, and food ad recognition/recall were controlled for in a regression analysis, increased alcohol ad recognition/recall was associated with higher drinking intensity and increased alcohol abuse.
“Something striking is going on here. Controlling for recall of fast food marketing, the results suggest that alcohol ad targeting is related to alcohol abuse in adolescents,” Dr. Tanski told Medscape Medical News.
“Every day in the United States, approximately 4750 people under age 16 start drinking. Work documenting the role of alcohol marketing in young people’s drinking is important because alcohol is the leading drug problem among young people, responsible for approximately 5000 deaths per year among persons under 21,” David Jernigan, PhD, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, and director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, told Medscape Medical News.
Television networks are awash in alcohol ads, and although voluntary restrictions in the age of the target audience exist, how adolescents respond to alcohol ads targeted at an older audience has been unclear.
To specifically address this, the second study focused on the influence of television advertising of alcohol products on the brand preference and frequency of alcohol use in 2699 adolescents, aged 16 to 20 years, as part of a longitudinal study of media use by American youth. Every state in the country was represented.
About 64% of respondents had tried alcohol, and nearly 21% had binged in the preceding month. Of those who ever drank, 68.1% had a favorite brand. Of the list of 158 brands, distilled spirits were the choice of 53.2% (typically girls, whose preference was Smirnoff); beers were the choice of 42.4% (typically males, who preferred Budweiser).
Annual ad expenditures for 95 alcohol brands correlated with the selection of a brand; Spearman’s correlation coefficient for this “brand signature” was 0.64 (P < .0001). Moreover, binge drinking in those who had a favorite brand ranged from 28% to 74% (by sex, 25.1% for females and 38.8% for males), compared with 11% in those with no professed brand preference.
“Our data suggest that alcohol ad campaigns influence the consumption of alcohol by adolescents at levels that are a risk to their present and future health,” Dr. Tanski told Medscape Medical News.
“Other federally funded long-term studies have found that the more young people are exposed to alcohol marketing of various kinds, the more likely they are to drink or, if already drinking, to drink more. However, there has been very little published on the relationship between youth brand preference and drinking behavior. Since marketing is done by brand, this kind of work is crucial to understanding the role of marketing in youth drinking behavior,” Dr. Jernigan told Medscape Medical News.
“There are no nationally representative long-term data on youth brand preference. Our center monitors youth exposure to alcohol marketing, and repeatedly identifies a small group of brands (between 5% and 8%) that are responsible for the majority of youth exposure. We (as well as the Institute of Medicine and, last week, a bipartisan group of 24 state attorneys general) have argued for stronger industry self-regulation to shield young people from the marketing. This youth brand preference data could make the case for more meaningful action stronger,” Dr. Jernigan told Medscape Medical News.
Dr. Tanski and Dr. Jernigan have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) and Asian Society for Pediatric Research 2011 Annual Meeting: Abstracts 2155.1 and 2155.2. Presented April 30, 2011.
Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children May Be Migraine
May 5, 2011 — Up to 15% of recurrent abdominal pain in children meets criteria for abdominal migraine (AM), a new study suggests.
The findings underline the importance of recognizing AM in children with recurrent abdominal pain because there are now a wide range of treatments available, researchers say.
“The message is that this is out there,” said Donald Lewis, MD, professor of pediatrics and neurology at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. “US physicians just aren’t thinking about it, aren’t recognizing it, and there are kids with recurrent abdominal pain who might benefit from the interventions we have for migraine.”
The study appears in the May issue of the journal Headache.
How Dads Influence Childhood Eating Patterns & Rituals
DADS’ HABITS ESTABLISH KIDS’ DINING OUT PATTERN
Children ranging from ages 9 – 15 more frequently use and and spend time at fast-food and full-service restaurants if their fathers frequently visit and spend time in these restaurants, according to a new study.
About half of the food budget of Americans is currently spent in restaurants.
Food prepared away from home is strongly associated with food that is higher in calories, saturated fat and sodium.
Researchers also found that greater time spent in restaurants was linked to more time spent in cars and to both parents maintaining regular daytime working schedules. The study suggests that parents and especially fathers, should consider setting better eating examples for their children by making better food choices and by more often eating at home, making dinner at home a family ritual. Dietary behaviors, such as eating away from home, have been shown to remain fairly stable from childhood into young adulthood.
This study was published in the May-June 2011 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. It is available online at http://bit.ly/mOegnV with subscription or fee.
Ban Chocolate Milk in the Cafeteria?
Did you know? . . .
Seventy percent of the sugar found in chocolate milk was already there before the chocolate flavoring was added!
An eight-ounce serving of the unflavored white stuff holds 14 grams of sugar, while the same amount of chocolate flavored milk holds 20 grams of sugar.
So the net increase is 6gm of sugar, which is a little more than 1 teaspoon.
That doesn’t mean it is the best choice. There are other healthful options available.
Some schools are contemplating banning chocolate milk from the lunch menu, but just how does its nutritional profile compare to other choices?
- Orange Soda – 32 gm sugar (according to USDA)
- Orange Juice Drink (5% juice) – 29 gm sugar (according to USDA)
- Coca-Cola – 27 grams of sugar (or more than 5 teaspoons).
- 100% Orange Juice – 22 gm of sugar (according to USDA)
- Chocolate Almond Milk (Almond Breeze) – 20 gm sugar
- Vanilla Enriched Rice Milk (Rice Dream) – 12 gm sugar
- Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk – 0 gm sugar
Study: How to Save $15MM – Infant Hospitalizations & Air Pollution
Filed under: A Message from the Doctor, Caring for Your Children
REGIONAL AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN CHILDREN
Researchers have concluded that, based on data from 1999 to 2007, higher levels of fine particulate matter, a type of air pollutant, in the areas surrounding some hospitals is associated with a greater cost for hospitalizations of infants aged one month to one year for bronchiolitis, a type of viral lung infection with symptoms similar to asthma.
Few studies have looked at the link between air pollution and infectious respiratory illness in children.
The team calculated that hypothetically, reducing the average level of fine particulate pollutant in the US to just 7% below the annual standard level would result in an annual saving of $15 million in healthcare costs.
This just-released study will appear in a future issue of the journal Health Affairs and is accessible online now at http://bit.ly/mwnVey without fee.
In a separate study, researchers found that, despite a reduction in healthcare costs related to lead exposure and asthma in children, environmental chemical factors may still have been behind 3.5 percent of the entire US healthcare budget in 2008 – which is estimated to be $76.6 BILLION. This study, which will appear in a future issue of Health Affairs, is available online at http://bit.ly/iVplkT without fee.
Ear Infections, Taste Disorder & Obesity in Children
Filed under: A Message from the Doctor, Caring for Your Children
Ever Met a Child Without a Taste For Candy?
Nearly 10% of children tested were found to be unable to identify “sweet.”
In a recent study, almost one in 10 children were unable to taste their food properly. Taste disorders such as this are known to lead to diet changes and could play a role in obesity.
David Laing at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues tested the taste buds of 432 children aged 8 to 12. Each was asked to drink a series of water-based drinks containing either sugar, salt, citric acid or bitter quinine hydrochloride. After each drink the children were asked to point to one of three photographs that they thought best described the taste. One photograph showed a food object with the correct taste and one showed food with the incorrect taste. The third photograph always showed a glass of water in case the children found the drink tasteless.
The experiment was repeated for five different concentrations of each flavored drink, making a total of 40 drinks. These were given to the children in a random order. Between drinks they rinsed their mouth with water.
A child is considered to have a taste disorder if they cannot point to the photograph that correctly relates to the taste in at least three of the five different concentrations of that particular flavor.
Surprisingly, 41 children – 9.5 per cent – met this criterion, with almost two-thirds of those children unable to identify a sweet taste.
Taste disorders can be caused by a variety of diseases including Bell’s palsy, renal failure and diabetes. But Laing suspects that chronic middle-ear infections may be responsible for the children’s disorders.
From ear to brain
Seung Geun Yeo at the Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea, found a strong association in 42 children between chronic middle-ear infections and difficulty identifying sweet and salty tastes.
A major nerve involved in tasting, called the chorda tympani, passes through the middle ear en route to the brainstem. Inflammatory proteins, viruses and bacteria from the infection can “chew up the nerve” and deteriorate taste sensations, says Laing.
In his study, Indigenous Australian children, who are particularly susceptible to ear infections, were also more likely to have taste disorders than non-Indigenous kids.
“Given the age of the children, it is likely that for many their taste loss is permanent,” says Laing.
No taste for exercise
The disorder may partly explain the rise of childhood obesity. The South Korean study found that children with taste disorders were heavier than those without. According to Laing, losing a taste sensation would “dramatically” change the taste of many foods, possibly leading to dietary switches. For example, children who could not appreciate a sweet taste may move to a high-salt diet.
The loss of taste sensations and childhood obesity is “a reasonable link”, says Beverly Mühlhäusler at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. While high-fat diets and low activity levels are the main cause of obesity, taste disorders could explain why some people are more likely to make those poor lifestyle choices, she says.
But it is also possible that obese children are predisposed to getting ear infections and the ensuing taste disorders. According to Yeo, obese people have a thicker fat pad around their ear and more inflammatory proteins than normal individuals – two factors that increase the likelihood of ear infection.
Journal references: Laing: Acta Paediatrica, DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02292.x; Yeo: Archives of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, DOI: 10.1001/archoto.2011.23
Impact of Environmental Chemicals on Kids’ Health
CHILDHOOD TOXIN EXPOSURE – SIGNIFICANT HEALTH COST
Researchers conclude that despite the reduction of childhood healthcare costs related to lead exposure and asthma, chemical factors in the environment were still responsible for major childhood healthcare costs, which represented as much as 3.5% of the entire US healthcare budget in 2008.
The study found that childhood exposure to toxic chemicals raises costs among children, related to lead poisoning, autism, asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cancer.
The analysis also included indirect costs such as loss of productivity among parents of sick children. The report praised the past removal of lead from gasoline and paint, but suggested new chemicals may have taken their place in the environmental picture.
In a separate study, researchers found higher health costs related to childhood respiratory illnesses at hospitals around which higher levels of fine particulates, a form of air pollution, were measured. The study on 2008 healthcare costs was just released by the journal Health Affairs and will appear in a future issue. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/iVplkT without fee.
The particulates-respiratory study will also appear in a future issue of Health Affairs and is accessible at http://bit.ly/mwnVey without fee.
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Study: Why Vitamin D May Help Kids
The majority of obese adolescents are vitamin D deficient, which increases their risk of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease, according to new study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Researchers at Hasbro Children’s Hospital who conducted the study also said vitamin D status is significantly associated with muscle power/force, and a deficiency may interfere with the obese adolescent’s ability to increase physical activity. They called for increased surveillance of vitamin D levels in adolescents and further studies to determine if normalizing vitamin D levels will help to lower the health risks associated with obesity.
The researchers examined the prevalence of low vitamin D status among 68 obese adolescents and examined the impact of treatment of low vitamin D status in the patients. They found low vitamin D status was present in all of the girls (72% deficient & 28% insufficient) and in 91 percent of the boys (69% & 22% insufficient).
Of those with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, 43 patients had a repeat measurement of vitamin D level after treatment. While there was a significant increase in vitamin D levels following treatment, serum vitamin D levels normalized in only 28% of the patients. Repeat multiple courses of vitamin D treatment in the patients who did not normalize their vitamin D levels after initial course, failed to normalize their low vitamin D status.
The researchers said the association between obesity and low vitamin D status also may be due to obese individuals having fewer outdoor activities than lean individuals and therefore, less sun exposure.
They also theorized obese adolescents don’t eat enough vitamin D-rich foods such oily fish, eggs and fortified dairy products and breakfast cereals.
Posted in these publications: News, Science & Research, Children, Vitamin D, Vitamins/Minerals, Healthy, Diet, Nutrition, Cancer, Heart Health, Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Egg, Fortification, Dairy, Breakfast Cereal, Bakery / Cereal, Cereal, Fish, Seafood, Obesity, Weight Management
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To learn more about how Kids Potential can help students succeed holistically, click here and view the documentary aired on PBS called “How to Turn Around a Failing School”, or the Fox News Broadcast.
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Why School Children Need Support
Results of a national survey of 638 kindergarten through eighth grade public school teachers in urban, suburban and rural communities revealed 60% of teachers have children in their classrooms who are not getting enough to eat at home, which impacts their ability to learn.
According to the “Hunger in Our Schools: Share Our Strength’s Teachers Report,” 98% of teachers surveyed believe there is a strong connection between eating a healthy breakfast and a student’s ability to concentrate, behave and perform academically. The teachers also note the problem increased in the past year.
The study revealed 65% of teachers reported that most or many of their students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition, and 40% of teachers believe it is a serious problem that children are coming to school hungry because they have not had enough to eat at home. Sixty-one percent of teachers said they have purchased food for their classrooms out of their own pockets, spending an average of $25 a month; 74% have helped kids sign up for free or reduced-priced meals; and 49% have referred students and parents to resources in the school.
“No child should be hungry at school. We have national programs in place, like school breakfast, that are there to serve children in need. We need to let more families know their children are eligible for these meal programs and help them overcome the barriers that prevent full enrollment,” said Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength, a Washington-based nonprofit working to end childhood hunger in the United States.
Share Our Strength has developed its “No Kid Hungry” campaign to combat childhood hunger, and hopes stronger breakfast programs in schools will improve student performance.
Read the full report here: “Hunger in Our Schools: Share Our Strength’s Teachers Report.”
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This is just one reason why Advantig Health & Sport supports disadvantaged, public school children by offering Kids Potential at a special institutional price. Thousands of US public school children benefit daily by taking this chewable multi-vitamin dispensed by their teachers right before lunch. Kids Potential is the first nutritional supplement patented as a “nutritional supplement to enhance learning, academic & behavioral performance.” Learn more by clicking here.
FTC Proposes National Standards for Foods Marketed to Kids
April 29, 2011
Foods and beverages marketed to children should promote healthy choices, according to new proposals for voluntary national advertising standards from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The proposals are set out by an interagency Working Group charged by Congress to develop principles to guide industry, and are intended to limit advertising to children of foods high in sugar, sodium or saturated fat, and also contribute to a healthy diet.
They are based on two general principles:
1.) foods & beverages marketed to children should make a “meaningful contribution to a healthful diet” and contain either fruit, vegetable, whole grain, fat-free or low-fat milk products, fish, extra-lean meat or poultry, eggs, nuts and seeds, or beans.
2.) foods should minimize content of nutrients that could negatively affect health or weight.
The guidelines are based on ‘reference amounts customarily consumed’ per eating occasion (RACC), which may not be the same as labeled serving sizes. Specifically, they should contain 1g or less of saturated fat and less than 15 percent of calories per RACC, no trans fat per RACC, less than 13g of added sugars, and no more than 210mg of sodium.
The Working Group proposes that all food products in categories most heavily marketed directly to children aged 2-17 should meet these principles by 2016, and that sodium guidelines should be revised in 2021.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said that the principles encourage industry to expand their existing voluntary efforts.
“To their credit, some of the leading companies are already reformulating products and rethinking marketing strategies to promote healthier foods to kids. But we all have more work to do before we can tip the scales to a healthier generation of children,” he said.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) praised the proposed standards, calling them “strong and sensible” and urged industry to accept them – but expressed concern about their voluntary nature.
A voluntary program called the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative was set up by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) in 2006, aimed at “shifting the mix of advertising messaging directed to children under 12 to encourage healthier dietary choices and healthy lifestyles”.
It claims that it has made a great deal of progress over the past five years and its 17 members are some of the biggest food manufacturers in the country, including the likes of Kraft, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s and McDonald’s.
However, CSPI’s director of nutrition policy Margo Wootan said: “Companies’ policies aren’t making enough of a difference. If companies are serious about addressing marketing to children, they‘ll agree to follow the proposed national marketing standards.”
The Impact of Early Life Nutrition on Metabolism
EARLY-LIFE NUTRITION MAY HAVE LONG-TERM METABOLIC EFFECTS
Researchers have determined that babies feeding on breast milk, high-protein formula, or low-protein formula exhibit various different metabolic effects and growth patterns with some showing up even at 15 days of age and others at three years, suggesting the possibility of life-long metabolic effects stemming from the very earliest dietary sources.
Babies were divided into three groups and fed breast milk, a formula containing only 1.8 gm of protein per 100 kilocalories, or a formula containing 2.7 gm of protein per 100 kilocalories, respectively.
At 15 days, breastfed babies showed lower blood insulin levels than formula-fed babies; but insulin differences disappeared by age nine months.
At three years, high-protein formula-fed babies showed higher blood pressure and diastolic pressure (the lower number in a blood pressure reading) although within the normal range.
The three-year study suggested formula feeding could have longer-range effects and that babies should be fed breast milk or formula that mirrors its metabolic effects.
This study was presented late on May 2, 2011 in Denver at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. Not yet available online, it will publish in a future issue of a pediatric journal.
Kids Potential Receives 1st Patent
The first patent ever granted for a “nutritional supplement to enhance learning, academic and behavioral performance” was granted for the Kids Potential formulation. (Patent #7,771,756).
Advantig Health & Sport provides Kids Potential at special academic pricing to educational institutions that dispense Kids Potential to disadvantaged children. We currently serve the Leavenworth School District, and several other districts in Kansas and Oklahoma.
To learn more about how Kids Potential can help your child or your students succeed with chemical-free, whole-food based nutrition, click here: Kids Potential.
To watch the documentary aired on PBS, or the Fox News broadcast, click here: Kids Potential Videos.
Kids Potential Chewable
FDA to Weigh if Food Dyes Make Kids Hyperactive
Link to original article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42273578/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
By Lisa Richwine, Reuters, updated 3/25/2011
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators are weighing a question parents have asked since the 1970s: do artificial food dyes make children hyperactive?
A consumer group has petitioned the government to ban blue, green, orange, red and yellow food colorings. The synthetic dyes are common in food and drinks ranging from PepsiCo’s Gatorade, Cheetos and Doritos to Kellogg’s Eggo waffles and Kraft’s Jell-O desserts.
Manufacturers say reviews by regulators around the world confirm the dyes are safe. The Center for Science in the Public Interest argues, however, there is plenty of data showing the dyes trigger hyperactivity in kids who are predisposed to it.
“There is convincing evidence that food dyes impair the behavior of some children,” said Michael Jacobson, head of the consumer group famous for exposing the fat and calories in movie-theater popcorn and fast food.
Jacobson and others will testify next week before a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee that will consider the question on Wednesday and Thursday. The FDA will hear the advisers’ views before deciding whether to take any action, which could take months or years.
FDA reviewers, in documents prepared for the advisory panel, said scientific research so far suggested some children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be affected by food coloring. The disorder affects up to 5 percent of U.S. children, according to government statistics.
“For certain susceptible children with ADHD and other problem behaviors, the data suggest their condition may be exacerbated” by substances in food including artificial colors, the FDA staff wrote in a preliminary analysis.
For the general population, the FDA “concludes that a causal relationship” between the dyes and hyperactivity “has not been established,” the agency staff said.
At the panel meeting next week, the FDA will ask outside experts if they agree with the agency’s conclusions or if they think more studies are needed.
Concerns about food dyes erupted in the 1970s when a pediatrician, Dr. Ben Feingold, claimed the colors were linked to hyperactive behavior and proposed a diet eliminating them.
Questions flared again after a 2007 British study of kids who drank fruit drinks with food colorings and preservatives.
The scientists concluded the colorings worsened hyperactive behavior and also affected kids not previously diagnosed with ADHD.
Other researchers said the study had limitations. A 2009 review by European authorities concluded all data available at the time did not support a link between food colorings and hyperactivity.
The 2008 petition from CSPI asked the FDA to ban all but one of the dyes, calling them “dangerous and unnecessary.” The exception, Citrus Red No. 2, is used only on orange skins. Companies could substitute natural colors, fruit or fruit juices, CSPI said.
Poll: Should food dyes be banned?
The group also asked the FDA to require a warning on products containing dyes until a ban takes effect.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food producers and packagers, said “extensive review” by the FDA and European authorities showed the dyes were safe. “All of the major safety bodies globally have reviewed the available science and have determined that there is no demonstrable link between artificial colors and hyperactivity among children,” the group said in a statement.
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This comes 4 years after a landmark study published in the British Medical Journal “The Lancet” proving that artificial colors and additives result in increased hyperactivity (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17825405). This double blind placebo-controlled crossover study is referenced in Advantig’s “Ingredients You Won’t Find in E3MV.”
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Do Vitamin D Supplements Help Children?
Filed under: A Message from the Doctor, Caring for Your Children
Excellent article worth re-printing:
Bone density blow for vitamin D?
By Nathan Gray, 06-Oct-2010
Vitamin D supplements do not have any effect in boosting bone density for healthy children with normal vitamin D status, according to a new systematic review from the Cochrane collaboration.
The review, published in The Cochrane Library, concludes that supplementation with vitamin D does not improve bone density in the general population of children, but may have benefits for those with very low vitamin D status.
“Vitamin D supplementation had no statistically significant effects on bone density at any site in healthy children. There was, however, some indication that children who had low levels of vitamin D in their blood might benefit from supplementation,” said study leader Dr Tania Winzenberg, of the Menzies Research Institute, Tasmania.
Fragile bones
Osteoporosis is characterised by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissues, leading to high bone fragility and an increased risk of fracture.
Low bone mineral density is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. Previous studies have suggested that up to 90 per cent of bone mass is built during childhood, and increasing bone mass in childhood is seen as a potential way to reduce the impact of osteoporosis
“It is estimated that a 10 per cent increase in peak bone mass reduces the risk of an osteoporotic fracture in adult life by 50 per cent,” stated the researchers.
Vitamin D is known to improve calcium deposition in bones, and previous research has suggested children with vitamin D deficiency have reduced bone density.
“By measuring bone density, you can assess how well an intervention such as vitamin D supplementation improves bone health,” said Dr Winzenberg.
The new Cochrane review assessed the results of six high quality trails looking at vitamin D supplementation and bone density in children, investigating
No effect
The authors reported vitamin D supplementation to have no statistically significant effects on, hip bone, forearm, or whole body bone mineral density. However, a small but statistically insignificant trend was found lumbar spine bone mineral density.
Researchers also found “a trend towards a larger effect with low vitamin D for total body bone mineral concentration”, indicating that low vitamin D status trails reported significant effects on total body bone density and lumbar spine bone density from vitamin D supplementation.
Dr Winzenberg outlined two key findings to take from the review. “First, there is reasonable evidence that giving vitamin D supplements to a general population does very little in terms of bone density.”
“But secondly, if we look at a specific group like deficient children, then the indications are that groups with lower status could see some benefits. But as it stands, the evidence is not good enough to make firm conclusions.”
Further work
Commenting independently on the review, Dr. Ailsa Welch, from the University of East Anglia said that the effects of vitamin D hinge on the baseline status: “If your status is already adequate, then the authors found no effect. But there needs to be more work done to determine the effects in low status children.”
Welch added that she believed the research was “very useful”, and said that the work “points to the need for further research in children.”
Andrew Shao, Ph.D, Senior Vice President of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) highlighted that the authors “had very little data to work with, because there are very few studies in children.”
“Right from the start the researchers are restricted in terms of participants – there just aren’t enough studies in children to give a conclusive answer on the subject,” added Shao.
Shao also pointed out the “many other health benefits associated with vitamin D”, and stated that the findings of any study on vitamin D “should not overlook the fact that a lot of people – including children – have inadequate vitamin D status, or are fully deficient.”
Dr Winzenberg confirmed that the evidence is “pretty strong […]to suggest that research with deficient children is a promising area,” but added that “there is no suggestion that supplementing the entire population would be a good idea.”
Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Issue 10, Article Number: CD006944, doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006944.pub2.
“Vitamin D supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children”
Authors: T.M. Winzenberg, S. Powell, K.A. Shaw, G. Jones
Study Reveals Suggested Cause of Childhood Asthma
POOR DIET AND INADEQUATE EXERCISE MAY UNDERLIE CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
A study of 18,000 children aged 4-12 suggests that unbalanced nutrition and lack of exercise may be the major risks of developing childhood asthma, even in those of a healthy weight.
These findings challenge the long-held idea that obesity itself is a risk factor for asthma. Instead, despite the fact that obese individuals showed a greater risk of asthma, the study implicated these patients’ metabolic dysfunction in the risk of asthma, such as triglyceride levels and glucose metabolism – and not their obesity itself. The conditions known as dyslipidemia (high triglyceride levels) and hyperinsulinemia (acanthosis nigricans or AN) are very common in both obesity and metabolic syndrome and as a result, suggests the study, obesity has been linked with asthma risk when in fact, these conditions themselves are the most likely risk factor.
The study suggests Metabolic factors may be the actual cause of the airway inflammation and hyper-reactivity that leads to asthma. In fact, it is the childhood experience of poor nutrition and lack of exercise that may lead to later asthma, according to the research. This study was released September 16, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the journal, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Details are not yet available to the public.
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Artificially Sweetened Softdrinks & Premature Birth
August 31, 2010 — Daily consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks may increase the risk for preterm delivery, according to the results of a Danish prospective cohort study reported in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes such as high weight gain,” write Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, from Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues. “Therefore, artificially sweetened soft drinks are often promoted as an alternative. However, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been disputed, and consequences of high intakes of artificial sweeteners for pregnant women have been minimally addressed.”
The goal of the study was to evaluate the association between consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks and preterm delivery.
Participants were 59,334 women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort from 1996 to 2002. With use of a food frequency questionnaire, soft drink consumption was evaluated in midpregnancy, and telephone interviews determined covariate information. The main study endpoint was preterm delivery, defined as less than 37 weeks of gestation.
Consumption of artificially sweetened carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks was associated with an increased risk for preterm delivery (P for trend ? .001 for both variables). Compared with women who did not drink artificially sweetened carbonated soft drinks, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for women who drank at least 1 serving daily was 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 – 1.65), and the adjusted OR for women who drank at least 4 servings daily was 1.78 (95% CI, 1.19 – 2.66). These associations were noted in normal-weight as well as in overweight women. Increased risk was stronger for early preterm and moderately preterm delivery vs late-preterm delivery.
For sugar-sweetened carbonated or noncarbonated soft drinks, no apparent association with the risk for preterm delivery was observed.
“Daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks may increase the risk of preterm delivery,” the study authors write. “Further studies are needed to reject or confirm these findings.”
Limitations of this study include possible reverse causality, inability to implicate specific artificial sweetener(s), observational design, and unidentified or residual confounders.
“The relative consistency of our findings for carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks and the absence of an association for sugar-sweetened soft drinks suggest that the content of artificial sweeteners might be the causal factor,” the study authors conclude. “However, the replication of our findings in another experimental setting is warranted.”
The European Union (EU) Integrated Research Project EARNEST supported this study. The EU project EARNEST receives financial support from the Commission of the European Communities. The Danish National Birth Cohort has been financed by the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Danish Heart Association, the Danish Medical Research Council, and the Sygekassernes Helsefond Danish National Research Foundation, Danish Pharmaceutical Association, Ministry of Health, National Board of Health, Statens Serum Institut. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;92:626-633. Abstract
Adversity in Childhood Can Weaken Immune Response & Longevity
A study found that the pain people suffer in childhood, such as abuse or other adversities, can lead to weakened immune systems much later in life and for some more serious cases, can shorten lifespan by seven to fifteen years.
The research on 132 healthy adults, averaging 70 years of age, looked at childhood adversities such as the loss of a parent, serious marital problems between parents, or mental illness or alcoholism within the family. It also assessed the length of telomeres – shortened telomeres are often seen as an indicator of biological aging – and the level of inflammatory indicators, with higher levels linked to various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.
Abuse had a greater effect than adversities but generally, those who had suffered significantly during childhood had shorter telomeres and higher inflammatory levels.
Those who experienced several kinds of hardship as kids had the shortest telomeres, suggesting a shortened life expectancy.
The study was presented Saturday evening, August 14, 2010, at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego. It has not yet been published and is not available online.
Insomnia & Sleep Drugs in Children
A study found that among children visiting child psychologists for mental health issues, 20% of preschoolers, and a third of school-aged children and adolescents, suffer from insomnia.
Researchers also discovered many of these young patients receive drugs to promote sleep. This is a substantial percentage to have sleep problems.
The psychologists prescribed drugs to alleviate the impact late-onset sleep and disturbed sleep have on daytime functioning; also, medications prescribed for psychological issues may have a negative effect on sleep.
Despite prescribing a wide array of sleep medications, the psychologists expressed concerns about the use of sleep medications – including sedatives, antihistamines and antidepressants – by children with many pointing out that little data exist on the effectiveness and safety of these drugs in children and adolescents.
The researchers concluded there is need for further study on appropriate treatment choices for children with sleep problems. They also reported that past studies found behavioral treatments such as relaxation techniques, sleep restriction and cognitive behavioral therapy to be effective for childhood insomnia.
This study will appear in the August 2010 
print issue of the journal, Sleep Medicine. Further details can be read online now at: http://bit.ly/aYBILR.
Produce Pesticides Linked to ADHD
CHICAGO—Children exposed to common pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have an increased risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to an article by Bridget M. Kuehn, published in the Journal of American Medical Association (2010;304(1):27-28). In the review titled “Increased Risk of ADHD Associated With Early Exposure to Pesticides, PCBs,” Kuehn said individuals who are exposed early in life to organophosphates or organochlorine compounds, widely used as pesticides or for industrial applications, are at greater risk of ADHD, according to recent studies.
She noted previous studies linked ADHD with very high levels of childhood exposure to organophosphate pesticides, such as levels experienced by children living in farming. However, more recent research has found children who experience more typical levels of pesticide exposure, such as from eating pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables, have a higher risk of developing the disorder.
She said researchers found pregnant women exposed to low-level organochlorine exposure increased the chances of their children developing ADHD-like behavior. In particular, they found ADHD was associated with higher levels of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p’-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (a metabolite of the pesticide DDT). She noted both have been banned from production in the United States for decades, but persist in the environment.
One specific study she mentioned, conduced by Canadian and Boston researchers, found a 10-percent risk of ADHD in children with the lowest organophosphate exposure compared to a 20-percent risk in those in the highest exposure levels. The lead author of that study said organophosphates are known to cause toxicity by interfering with neurotransmitters, which could cause ADHD.
A separate study noted by Kuehn found children born to mothers who lived near a PCB-contaminated harbor in New Bedford, MA, had significant increases in ADHD-like behavior, especially at higher exposure levels. The risk of ADHD-like behavior increased 26 percent to 92 percent, depending on the particular organochlorines to which they were exposed.
SAFE PRODUCE LIST
The Environmental Working Group has just posted their new shoppers guide to produce to help you choose between produce that MUST be purchased organic, vs. produce that you can buy that is grown conventionally. Download the list and keep it with your reusable shopping bags to make the right choice next time you shop for your family, click here to download the safe produce list: http://tinyurl.com/2f5wpyz.
Could Potential Help a Successful Child Too?
Kids Potential is a chewable wafer that brings a welcome difference in quality, nutritional value and purpose to the kids vitamin market. No, it is not a gummy candy masquerading as something good for your child. Kids Potential offers well-rounded nutrition from full spectrum vitamins, natural vitamin E (not synthetic) and the natural antioxidant power from deep-colored fruit & berry concentrates especially produced for this children’s vitamin. Potential contains no sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors or preservatives.
Potential is the only chewable kids vitamin dispensed by a school district to thousands of children now for 7 years that is supported by real results. PBS filmed a documentary called “How to Turn Around a Failing School” and FOX News filmed a news segment following up to its years of success in the public school system. Potential has made a meaningful difference in the lives of at-risk children.
But can Potential help an already successful child?
We just received a link to the Mamawize blog in which an educator/parent discusses how Potential has benefited her academically successful son. Have a read and let us know what you think:
To watch the short FOX News segment, click on the play arrow in the black box from this link: Potential.
Why Advantig Products Don’t Contain Artificial Colors & Preservatives
Filed under: A Message from the Doctor, Caring for Your Children
Artificial Colors in Kids' Food
Additives like artificial colors & pre
servatives negatively impact brain function
The Lancet 2007, Nov. 3:370(9598) 1560-7. “Food Additives & Hyperactive Behavior in 3 Year old and 8/9 Year Old Children in the Community: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Placebo Controlled Trial.” McCann D., Barrett A., Cooper A., Crumpler D., Dalen L., Grimshaw K., Kitchin E., Lok K., Porteous L., Prince E., Sonuga-Barke E., Warner JO., Stevenson J. School of Psychology, Dept. of Heatlth, University of Southampton, UK. 300 Children Studied.
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From Dr. Schlesser:
Kids are conditioned to select brightly colored products. This extends beyond toys — to foods, which results in consumption of non-nutritive food additives like artificial colors, artificial flavors and preservatives. Published research now confirms that many of these non-nutritive molecules can alter brain function in kids.
This 2007 Lancet Study is a very well-designed, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that finally settles the controversy over the impact of non-nutritive food additives on behavior and learning in kids. This trial took place in Great Britain and studied 300 children. The conclusion was that food additives adversely impacted behavior, directly contributing to hyperactive behavior. The findings were so profound that Britain’s Food Standards Agency issued an advisory to parents immediately.
It has been nearly two years since this study’s findings were published and yet there has been no response by the US Government.
For many years, pediatricians have downplayed the impact of artificial colors & preservatives on behavior – even though many parents have been convinced of the link.
American Academy of Pediatrics – Grand Rounds
ADHD & Food Additives Revisited – Alison Schonwold, MD, FAAP, Developmental Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, American Academy of Pediatrics, Grand Rounds 2008; 19:17.
ADHD & Non-Nutritive Additives
“The overall findings of the study are clear and require that even we skeptics,
who have long doubted parental claims of the effects of various foods on the
behavior of their children, admit that we might have been wrong.”
From Dr. Schlesser:
Just last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on the issue of Artificial Colors and Non-Nutritive Food Additives and after a thorough evaluation of the available scientific literature, including the landmark 2007 study in The Lancet. Their conclusion: “the overall findings of the study are clear and require that even we skeptics who have long doubted parental claims of the effects of various foods on the behavior of their children, admit that we might have been wrong.”
This is an official position statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Do artificial colors have a scientifically justifiable place in our children’s food supply?
We would love to hear your comments.