Children's Health: Childhood obesity linked to poverty, parenting style ♦ Negative body image increases adolescent obesity risk ♦ World first blood test reduces risk,increases accuracy in prenatal testing

World first blood test reduces risk, increases accuracy in prenatal testing Research into a simple, accurate and low risk blood test that can detect fetal blood group, sex, and genetic conditions in unborn babies, report scientists. The new, simple and safe DNA blood test could spell the end of invasive amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

Negative body image, not depression, increases adolescent obesity risk Negative body image significantly increases the risk of obesity regardless of whether youth have depression, according to researchers. For the study's purposes, persons with a body mass index of 30 or more were considered obese.

Don't delay: Having to wait doesn't help young kids exercise self-control Would your ability to resist a tantalizing cookie improve if you had to wait a few seconds before you could reach for it? The idea that natural urges 'die down' with time seems intuitive, but new research shows that it's being reminded about what not to do, not the passage of time, that actually helps young children control their impulsive behavior

Childhood obesity linked to poverty, parenting style With childhood obesity rates on the rise, a team of based researchers embarked on a study to show how authoritarian parenting and household income combine to affect kid's obesity risk.

Childrens Health:Divorce fuels kids' sugary beverage consumption ♦ Link between adolescent obesity, high blood pressure ♦ Infant gut bacteria and food sensitization

Divorce fuels kids' sugary beverage consumption.  Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity later in life. Maintaining family routines such as eating a regular dinner or carving out time to talk each day, however, can protect children against developing unhealthy eating habits Continue Reading

Strong link between adolescent obesity, high blood pressure  Body mass index in healthy adolescents has a statistically significant association with both systolic blood pressures and diastolic blood pressures and it highlights the significance of the global trend of rapidly increasing adolescent obesity.Continue Reading

Infant gut bacteria and food sensitization: Associations in the first year of life  The research reveals that infants with a fewer number of different bacteria in their gut at three months of age are more likely to become sensitized to foods such as milk, egg or peanut by the time they are one year old. Continue Reading

Breastfeeding an ideal feeding pattern for infants  Human milk provides the best nutrition for most babies and breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for infants and very young children, according to an updated position paper. The paper also outlines the health risks of not breastfeeding, which include increased rates of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, increased healthcare costs and significant economic losses.Continue Reading