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Cutting Salt Can Help Cut Soda
Posted 04/21/2008 | Permalink
Better Diet, Better Grades
Posted 04/21/2008 | Permalink
Losing Sleep Over Allergies
Posted 03/20/2008 | Permalink
Prevent Childhood Hearing Loss
Posted 02/14/2008 | Permalink |
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Reducing your children's salt intake could help you cut the amount of sugar-sweetened soft drinks they consume, say scientists at St. George's University of London. The researchers looked at the habits of more than 1,600 British boys and girls, aged 4 to 18, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) found that those who ate less salt diet drank less fluid. They estimate that cutting a gram of salt could reduce fluid intake by 100 grams daily and reduce intake of sugary soda by 27 grams. Researchers suggest that reducing salt intake and soda consumption might reduce risk of obesity, high blood pressure and other health problems later in life. The study is published in Hypertension.
Getting an "A" in nutrition can help kids improve their grades at school, a study of Nova Scotia fifth graders suggests. Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton who looked a thte diets of nearly 5,000 students say those who ate adequate amounts of fruit, vegetables, protein, fiber and other elements of a healthy diet were less likely to have failed a literacy test they had previously taken. In fact, the better a student's eating habits, the less likely he or she was to have failed the test. The study is published in the April 2008 edition of the Journal of School Health.
Allergies may interfere with your child's sleep, especially during Spring months when allergies are at their worst, researchers report in recent study by Sepracor Inc, the U.S. marketing partner of Denmark-based Nycomed Co. Of those parents surveyed, 29 percent said allergies led their children to suffer from a lack of sleep, compared with 12 percent of parents whose children did not have allergies. A full 40 percent of parents said their children's nasal allergies interfere with school performance, compared to 10 percent of parents whose children did not have allergies. Nearly half of the children in the study take prescription medication for allergy symptoms. Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Almost 5 million American youngsters have noise-induced hearing loss - a statistic that's even more tragic when you consider it's something entirely preventable, according to the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). How? Turn down the volume on portable music players, avoid areas with excessive noise, and use earplugs when needed - but these are things many children just aren't doing, says Alison Grimes, academy president and head of the Audiology Clinic at UCLA Medical Center. "Parents and teachers need to help educate kids at home and at school," she says, adding that because children seldom complain about noise-induced hearing loss, it can be difficult to diagnose. Symptoms may include distorted or muffled sound, difficulty understanding speech, or ringing in the ears. Kids should have their hearing checked regularly by an audiologist because good hearing is essential to speech development, learning and social skills.
