Toxic Popcorn

Movie night? Nix the microwave popcorn, scientists say. In a new study published on November 8, Canadian researchers have found that industrial chemicals used to line junk food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags are contaminating the food inside.

University of Toronto researchers discovered that perfluorinated carboxylic acids or PFCAs, breakdown products of chemicals used to make some food packaging, can leach into food, and eventually show up in the blood of humans. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

PFCAs have been linked to cancer in animal experiments, and the chemicals are becoming increasingly pervasive in the environment. PFCAs are often detected in the air and household dust (and in pretty much all humans), and scientists believe they will remain in the soil for hundreds of years.

Governments in Canada, the United States, and parts of Europe have signaled their intentions to begin extensive and longer-term monitoring programs for PFCAs, although there is still some debate over how to classify the chemical in terms of its relationship to cancer in humans.

Another common component of food packaging is bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen that ends up in a number of consumer goods including baby bottles, baby formula, pizza boxes, and other fast food containers. To date there are more than 5,700 international studies published in the US National Library of Medicine that link BPAs to sexual dysfunction, cancers, compromised immune systems, diabetes, heart disease, epigenetic health concerns, neurological disruption, obesity, and much more.

To access the PFCA study: http://tinyurl.com/2d5tn23

Grown Up Problems from Childhood Sleep Problems

We know that sleep affects behavior, but what new research has shown that sleep issues in children and teenagers leads to problems when they grow up.


According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2004 Sleep in America poll, 13% of school-age children have difficulty falling asleep at bedtime and 26% of preschoolers seem sleepy or overtired during the day at least a few days a week. The report surveyed 1,473 adults with children 10 and younger in the home. Teenagers tend to have even more sleep issues. About 45% of adolescents ages 11 to 17 get less than eight hours of sleep a night, even though teenagers need between nine and 10 hours. And more than one-quarter of high-school kids fall asleep in school at least once a week, according to another Sleep in America poll from 2006 that surveyed 1,602 sixth through 12th graders and their parents or caregivers.

According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2004 Sleep in America poll, 13% of school-age children have difficulty falling asleep at bedtime and 26% of preschoolers seem sleepy or overtired during the day at least a few days a week. The report surveyed 1,473 adults with children 10 and younger in the home. Teenagers tend to have even more sleep issues. About 45% of adolescents ages 11 to 17 get less than eight hours of sleep a night, even though teenagers need between nine and 10 hours. And more than one-quarter of high-school kids fall asleep in school at least once a week, according to another Sleep in America poll from 2006 that surveyed 1,602 sixth through 12th graders and their parents or caregivers.

A 2010 study of 392 boys and girls published online in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that those who had trouble sleeping at 12 to 14 years old were more than two times as likely to have suicidal thoughts at ages 15 to 17 as those who didn't have sleep problems at the younger age. In a study published last year in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, involving 386 participants, children whose mothers reported that they were overtired when 3 to 8 years old were 2.8 times as likely to binge drink when they were 18 to 20 years old. And a study of 1,037 children revealed that 46% of those who were considered to have a persistent sleep difficulty at age 9 had an anxiety disorder at age 21 or 26. By comparison, of the children who didn't have sleep problems at age 9, 33% had an anxiety disorder as young adults, according to the research, which was published in 2005 in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. Scientists caution that some study-sample sizes are small and research is still in its early stages.

Please view the whole article at:

http://tiny.cc/knibw

Overweight Kids Who Exercise Improve Thinking, Math Skills

This is part of an article from Bloomberg Businessweek


One hundred seventy-one overweight children 7 to 11 years old, were randomly assigned to either 20 minutes or 40 minutes of vigorous exercise every day after school or to no exercise. The exercise program focused on fun and safety rather than competition and skill, and included running games, hula hoops and jump ropes. Researchers found it raised their heart rates to 79 percent of maximum, which is considered vigorous.

The researchers evaluated the children using standard achievement tests known as the Cognitive Assessment System and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III. Some children also had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains.

The MRIs found that children who exercised had increased activity in the so-called executive function area of the brain -- associated with self-control, planning, reasoning and abstract thought -- as well as the prefrontal cortex. The latter is the part of the brain linked with complex thinking and correct social behavior, the researchers noted.

There was also decreased activity in an area of the brain that's behind the prefrontal cortex. The shift seems to be tied to faster developing of cognitive skills, Davis said.

In addition, the more the kids exercised, the more the intelligence-test scores went up. An average increase of 3.8 points on scores in cognitive planning skills was noted in kids who exercised 40 minutes a day for three months, the researchers found. Children who exercised 20 minutes a day experienced smaller gains.

Complete article: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/649818.html

Make A Wish Foundation

Recently, my youngest grandson, who has Cystic Fibrosis (CF), was granted his wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He and his family travelled to California to see Jay Leno's garage. Jay and my grandson have a love of cars in common. He loved it. Fortunately, he was out of the hospital and well enough to go! Please visit their website http://www.wish.org/ to learn how you can make a difference in the lives of children with catastophic illnesses.

Junk Food May Lower IQ

We know that chips, candy, and chocolate cake don't do waistlines any good—but can junk food also stunt our intelligence? The IQs of children who eat fatty, sugary, processed foods appear to suffer years later, while the IQs of those who eat healthily (fruits, vegetables, fiber, and unsaturated fats) increase, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. British researchers tracked what 14,000 children ate and drank at ages 3, 4, 7, and 8½, and found that those who ate a diet high in processed foods at age 3 had a slightly lower IQ five years later than their healthier-eating peers. Kids whose diet emphasized fruit, vegetables, salads, fish, rice, and pasta, meanwhile, saw small increases in their IQ. Diet likely makes the greatest impact during the first three years of life, when the brain is rapidly developing; good nutrition promotes brain growth and cognitive skills. "We know (a healthy diet) is important for physical growth and development, but it may also be important for mental ability," lead author Kate Northstone, a research fellow in the department of social medicine at the University of Bristol, told Business Week. View complete article at:


http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/02/08/health-buzz-junk-food-diet-may-lower-iq

When Should a Child Visit an Eye Doctor?

An InfantSEE® assessment between six and 12 months of age is recommended to determine if an infant is at risk for eye or vision disorders. Since many eye problems arise from conditions that can be identified by an eye doctor in the infant's first year of life, a parent can give an infant a great gift by seeking an InfantSEE® assessment in addition to the wellness evaluation of the eyes that is done by a pediatrician or family practice doctor. One in every 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed eye and vision problems, yet only 13 percent of mothers with children younger than 2 years of age said they had taken their babies to see an eye and vision care professional for a regular check-up or well-care visit. Visit www.infantsee.org for more information.