Pregnant Women Who Eat Peanuts May Put Infants at Increased Risk for Peanut Allergy, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on peanuts and pregnancy.

In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that women whose infants were at increased risk of allergies based upon family history consider avoiding peanut products while pregnant and breast feeding. However, the recommendation was withdrawn in 2008 due to limited scientific evidence to support it. The Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), which was just awarded a renewed $29.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, is conducting this ongoing, observational study to help better understand the risk factors behind a child's developing peanut allergy, as well as allergies to milk and egg. The Consortium is also studying novel treatments for food allergies.

Tendency to Obesity Starts With Pre-Schoolers, Canadian Study Finds

ScienceDaily for October 27, 2010 reported on obesity and pre-schoolers.

Spence and his team recruited 1730 Canadian children into the study -- an equal mix of boys and girls, and four- and five-year-olds -- via immunization clinics from 2005 to 2007 when they came for their pre-school vaccinations. Kids were classified according to body weight status and parents asked to complete the UK-developed Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), which has been used in European studies to establish the relationship between food behaviours and body weight in children.

Dad's Weight and Diet Linked to Offspring's Risk of Diabetes

ScienceDaily for October 24, 2010 reported on weight of fathers and obesity in offspring.

"But until now, the impact of the father's environment -- in terms of his diet -- on his offspring had not been investigated." The work formed the basis of the PhD study of Dr Sheau-Fang Ng, who showed that paternal environmental factors such as diet and weight are important contributors to disease in the next generation.

New Data on Effects of Alcohol During Pregnancy

ScienceDaily for October 16, 2010 reported on effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Scientific data continue to indicate that higher intake of alcohol during pregnancy adversely affects the fetus, and could lead to very severe developmental or other problems in the child. However, most recent publications show little or no effects of occasional or light drinking by the mother during pregnancy. The studies also demonstrate how socio-economic, education, and other lifestyle factors of the mother may have large effects on the health of the fetus and child; these must be considered when evaluating the potential effects of alcohol during pregnancy.

The Kids Are All Right: Few Negative Associations With Moms' Return to Work After Having Children, Review Finds

ScienceDaily for October 14, 2010 reported on working mothers.

"Overall, I think this shows women who go back to work soon after they have their children should not be too concerned about the effects their employment has on their children's long-term well-being," said psychologist Rachel Lucas-Thompson, PhD, lead author of the study conducted with Drs. JoAnn Prause and Wendy Goldberg at the University of California, Irvine.

Alienated Youths Are More Likely to Lash Out, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for October 9, 2010 reported on youths who lash out at others.

When people are rejected by peers, they often lash out. In children, that aggression occasionally takes horrifying directions, leading to school shootings or other deadly acts. Researchers in the Netherlands found that some children are more likely than others to lash out in response to acute peer rejection: children who already feel like outcasts.

Fattening Pollutants? Chemicals in Mother’s Blood Contribute to Child’s Obesity, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for October 6, 2010 reported on chemicals in mother's blood and the child's obesity.

Babies whose mothers had relatively high levels of the chemical DDE in their blood were more likely to both grow rapidly during their first 6 months and to have a high body mass index (BMI) by 14 months, according to a team of scientists based in Barcelona, Spain. DDE, an endocrine disruptor, is a by-product of the pesticide DDT.

Light Drinking During Pregnancy: Harmful to Child's Behavioral or Intellectual Development?

An article in ScienceDaily for October 7, 2010 reported on drinking and pregnancy.

Light drinking during pregnancy does not harm a young child's behavioural or intellectual development, reveals research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Nearly One in Three Adolescents Participated in a Violent Behavior Over Past Year, U.S. Study Finds

ScienceDaily for September 26, 2010 reported on teen violence.

A new national study reveals that nearly 7.8 million adolescents aged 12 to 17, almost one third (30.9 percent), participated in any of three violent behaviors over the past year. The study, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), showed that 22.6 percent of adolescents reported having participated in a serious fight at school or work; 16.1 percent reported involvement in group-against-group fighting; and 7.5 percent reported attacking others with intent to seriously hurt them.

Violent Video Games Increase Aggression Long After the Game Is Turned Off, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for September 20, 2010 reported on aggression and video games.

Violent video game playing has long been known to increase aggression. This study, conducted by Brad Bushman of The Ohio State University and Bryan Gibson of Central Michigan University, shows that at least for men, ruminating about the game can increase the potency of the game's tendency to lead to aggression long after the game has been turned off.