One of the simplest ways to reduce your children’s risk of becoming overweight or even obese is to simply eat the evening meal as a family at least 5 nights a week. Recent studies have shown that this simple, and enjoyable, habit combined with making sure your young children get adequatesleep of at least...
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Blueberry juice can have significant, positive impact on memory in older adults. A preliminary study has discovered that the consumption of blueberry juice can have significant results for older adults with early memory changes. The authors found that “the findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit…” In...
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When you child has an ear infection, a very common childhood problem, doctors tend to be quick to prescribe antibiotics, even though their own highly respected professional association said nearly a decade ago that it’s acceptable to withhold antibiotics initially. In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians published...
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Cognitive decline in older adults is a major issue on our current society. A recent study found that “moderate or high physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of cognitive impairment after 2 years in a large population-based cohort of elderly subjects.” Moderate physical activity is defined as physical activity less than three...
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Why all the recent attention about drinking soda? Because drinking more than a single can of soda sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup every day may increase your odds of chronic kidney disease, a recent study contends. Published in the Journal of  the International Society of Nephrology, the study found that “compared to participants who...
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New research has  found that for women, a diet “characterized by vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and whole grains was associated with lower odds for major depression or dysthymia and for anxiety disorders” as opposed to a “western” diet of “processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer.” The authors noted that “these...
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British researchers looked at the correlation between the daily candy consumption by children and the chances of being convicted of a violent crime later in life. What they discovered is that: “Children who ate confectionery daily at age 10 years were significantly more likely to have been convicted for violence at age 34 years,...
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Depression is a serious illness. Unfortunately it is most often treated with antidepressants. A recent review of research related to the use of antidepressants found that the “magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild...
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According to a press release, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey granted preliminary approval for a settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving two prescription drugs. The lawsuit claims that the drug manufacturers violated consumer protection laws by marketing the two drugs as “being more effective than other anti-cholesterol drugs and...
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Obesity (defined as a BMI greater than 30) and being overweight have been linked to brain atrophy in a new study of older adults. Researchers found that “Higher BMI was associated with lower brain volumes in overweight and obese elderly subjects. Obesity is therefore associated with detectable brain volume deficits in cognitively normal elderly...
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The health benefits that babies and mothers gain from breast-feeding are already well-established and the list of health advantages associated with breast-feeding continues to grow. According to a recent position published by the American Dietetic Association: “Breastfeeding is an important public health strategy for improving infant and child morbidity and mortality, improving maternal morbidity, and...
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Approximately 90% of U.S. adults have BPA present in their urine. BPA (the abbreviation for Bisphenol A) is a chemical used since the 1960s in many hard plastic bottles and to line food and beverage containers. In recent years, studies have found BPA to be associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the...
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Here’s a bit of information you may find helpful in those arguments with kids over how much TV they watch: A study looking at the television and media use by adolescents found that those “reporting more television use had significantly greater odds of developing depression for each additional hour of daily television use. In...
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