A review of 42 studies that included over 75,000 children revealed that those who got less than the recommended amount of sleep for their age were 58% more likely to become overweight or obese than kids who got adequate sleep. Study co-author Dr, Michelle Miller explains, “The results showed a consistent relationship across all ages,…

According to a new report, 21 million adults in the United States (US) now have type 2 diabetes, a condition linked to being overweight or obese that increases the risk for heart disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, vision loss, and Alzheimer’s disease. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 2018

Diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes in the United States (US) have more than tripled over the past decade from about 27,000 cases in 2004 to over 96,000 cases in 2016. Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adds, “Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya—a growing list of…

Children from homes in which an adult smokes either tobacco or marijuana are 24% more likely to have visited an emergency room in the previous year and twice as likely to have been diagnosed with an ear infection. The researchers say the findings should not be a surprise, as second-hand smoke has been linked to…

Your childhood best friend may have a surprising protective effect on your health in adulthood. In this study, researchers monitored the social lives of 267 individuals between age six and age sixteen and found that boys who spent more time with friends had a lower risk for high blood pressure and obesity in their early…

A long-term study involving 635 children found that obese eight-year-olds are almost twice as likely to have elevated levels of an enzyme called ALT in their blood, which signals their liver function may be impaired. Lead author Dr. Jennifer Woo Baidal writes, “With the rise in childhood obesity, we are seeing more kids with nonalcoholic…

According to a new study that involved almost 8,000 middle-aged adults, there is a relationship between an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and the total number of major stressful events an individual encounters in his or her lifetime. Examples of stressful life events include the death of a spouse or child, divorce, marital…

In this study, researchers compared the health history of 8,760 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 26,280 children without ASD. They found the following risk factors associated with ASD: maternal mental illness, epilepsy, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, infection, or asthma; assisted fertility; hyperemesis, younger maternal age; labor complications; low birth weight; infant…

Data from an ongoing health and nutrition study indicates that almost 14% of preschool children were mildly obese in 2015-2016, up 5% from 2013-2014. Additionally, researchers found no evidence of any sustained improvements in childhood obesity rates at any age. Instead, their long-range view suggests a continued upward trend. The findings confirm the need for…

Growing up in sunnier regions may shield individuals from developing multiple sclerosis (MS) decades later. In this study, researchers reviewed the history of 400 women with an average age of 40 and found that those who lived in regions with the highest levels of UV-B exposure between the ages of 5 and 15 were 51%…