childhood obesity

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The term obesity is associated with overweight individuals. It is basically an epidemic problem of abnormal accumulation of neutral body fat as compared to body size. It has become more prevalent in young age especially children now a days. Children are heavier today than they were 20 years ago.

The overweight children looks very cute but these cute children are actually over nourished and unhealthy individuals. The incidence of childhood obesity is increasing especially in developing countries with unhealthy lifestyles.

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There are many issues related to health, education and futures which are being look forwarded by parents when they have the children. But this is not an ideal world and everyday parents and children deal with such conditions which can change their lives. Autism is one of those serious conditions which raise many questions about autism in minds of parents about their child’s health and chances of recovery.

Parents feel a sudden change in life when doctor diagnose their child with autism. But there is a hope and non-for-profit schools that provide the peace of mind to parents and help children with autism. Read the rest of this entry »

How many kids develop life threatening conditions with the intake of excessive breast milk? Researchers of U.K are going to launch a study to reveal it. The data of neonates, admitted in hospital due to dehydration, would be gathered all across United Kingdom.

Although, intense hypernatraemia dehydration (a condition which develops, when serum sodium concentration exceeds 145mmol/l) is very rare but it is a life threatening condition in the newborns.

Though the hospitals treat dehydrated children but there is no sufficient data that can initiate that particular study.

“People are anxious to say any word that can give make breastfeeding notorious.” neonatologist Dr Sam Richmond said.

When the children fail to take enough quantity of milk, because of any health condition, hypernatraemic dehydration may occur in the early days of their lives. This excessive sodium level may lead to gangrene, seizures, neurological disorders and some time even death if left untreated.

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Infant death rate from obstruct of suffocation have increased fourfold in the past twenty years in U.S. alone, most of the victim are those who used to sleep with their parents, government researchers reported.

Most affected babies were black males but why, the reason is still unknown, researchers at the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Study findings are clearly defining the trend. Already campaigns have launched to prevent sudden infant death syndrome also known as cot death or crib death, by putting kids to sleep on their backs instead of their separate beds.

“Mortality rate of sudden death due to suffocation and strangulation, in infants had quadrupled since 1984” the researchers reported.

To prevent such incident babies should be laid to sleep alone, on flat surface with small tight cushions in a cot with bars to keep the child from falling down.

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New research has shown that, teenagers who engaged themselves in moderate physical activity, has better metabolism and burn more calories than their inactive age-fellows, a truth that provide protection against type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the insulin in body fails to regulate blood-sugar, causing blood sugar levels to rise. The disorder is associated with obesity, but studies in adults have shown that constant physical workout can prevent its arrival.

Whether this is true in case of children or teenagers, there is still no evidence. It is important to know, as rising rates of obesity in children are leading to increasing rates of type 2 diabetes.

For the new study, researchers planted 32 male and female teenagers with accelerometers to record the body’s movement in a day.

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Infants exposed to high concentration of testosterone hormone in the womb are more likely to develop autistic characteristics in childhood, a study reported.

Researchers recorded testosterone levels of fetus in the amniotic fluid of 235 pregnant women.

Then they made the comparative study of the questionnaires, considered to measure children’s autistic characters between the ages of 6 and 10.

They found that high male hormone levels were associated with reflection to poor social skills, imagination and understanding, but good focus and memory for detail.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen said the research it’s a advance study than previous that has discovered links between foetal testosterone and less eye contact in childhood, decreased language maturity and more difficulties with compassion.

“Its first time that any study has highlighted association of foetal testosterone with autistic traits, and indicates that foetal testosterone masculinises the body and mind too.” he said.

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A new study finds that nearly 75% type1 diabetic kids and teens have vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency often becomes the cause of osteoporosis and other bone diseases particularly those who suffer from type1 diabetes. Though our skin can produce vitamin D in sunlight and many diets are replete with this vitamin, scientists say that vitamin D supplements are quite essential to get its balance levels.

Dr. Britta Svoren, who led the study, says: “Our study finds that kids with type1 diabetes had quite lower levels of vitamin D, so much lower as we were not expecting.”

“Mineral density of bones is linked with type1 diabetes and it often becomes the cause of fractures and different bone diseases like osteoporosis. It is also possible that vitamin D may play an important role in developing diabetes,” she added.

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NEW YORK – Mother’s breastfeeding could have a constructive influence on behavior, in early childhood, according to results of a study presented Wednesday at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

In the study, parents of 1 to 5 year old children, who were breastfed as infants were 15 percent less likely to report concern for the child’s behavior than those parents, who were not breastfed.

In addition, breastfed children have 37 percent less chances to have doctor-diagnosed behavior or mental disorders or to have received mental health care.

The results based on more than 100,000 interviews with parents or guardians on the health of their children conducted as part of the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health — also push studies that have showed breastfeeding enhances intellectual ability in children.

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