COMMUNITY MAGAZINE May 2008

84 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE To • junior's • Health DON’T DISREGARD DAIRY Children who drink milk consume more nutrients and have a lower or comparable body mass index (BMI) than children who don’t drink milk, according to a new study released in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Results showed that milk drinkers (flavored and plain) had significantly higher intakes of vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Among girls, average calcium intakes by flavored milk drinkers and exclusively plain milk drink- ers were nearly double the calcium intakes of non-milk drinkers. The researchers at the University of Vermont noted that the inclu- sion of flavored milk in the diet does not lead to significantly higher added sugar. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage children to enjoy three age-appropriate servings of low-fat or fat- free milk, cheese, or yogurt each day. Currently, less than half of children ages 2-8 and only about one-quarter of children ages 9-19 meet the recommended dairy food intake. PRESCHOOL KIDS SHOULD TALK TO THEMSELVES Parents should not worry when their pre-schoolers talk to them- selves; in fact, they should encourage it, according to researchers at George Mason University. The study, published in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly, showed that 5-year-olds do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud than when they are silent. Private speech is very common and normal among children between the ages of 2 and 5. As children begin talking to themselves, their communication skills with the outside world improve. CHINESE ADMIT AQUA DOTS DANGER The Chinese government acknowledged that millions of Aqua Dot toys, recalled in the United States, contain a chemi- cal that can turn into a sedating drug if ingested. The Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine issued a statement saying that the toys were coated with the industrial chemical 1,4-butane- diol (GHB) and were from a factory in a city near Hong Kong. U.S. stores began removingAqua Dots toys from their shelves last month after an investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission discovered the presence of the dangerous chemical. Aqua Dots are beads that can be arranged into designs that hold together when the beads are sprayed with water. At least nine children in the United States and three Australian children have been hospitalized after swallowing the beads. The drug’s symptoms include respiratory difficulty, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness and coma. Aqua Dots had been sold in 40 countries. CM CAN DIETS FIX BEHAVIORS? Using diet modification to treat a child’s behavior problems has been popular since the 1920s, with very little proof of long-lasting results. In the 1970s, the “Feingold diet” made the claim – which has since been largely discredited – that a diet free of food dyes and other additives reduces hyperactivity. There is very little medical evidence of a link between a child’s diet and improved behavior. Many parents may see diet change as something to resort to when all else fails, but researchers urge parents to consult with their pediatrician before altering a child’s diet in the hope of improving behavior. MOM’S DIET LINKED TO BABY’S OBESITY Pregnant and lactating rats fed on a diet of hydrogenated fat had fatter babies than rats fed a normal diet, according to research published in Lipids in Health and Disease. The unhealthy diet had negative consequences even after the fats were removed. Young rats that were fed a normal diet after birth ate less and weighed less even though their mothers had been eating trans-fatty acids while pregnant. Heavy ingestion of hydrogenated fats rich in trans-fatty acids increases risk of cardiovascular diseases and reduces insulin sensitivity, leading to type-2 diabetes. NUCLEAR PLANTS INCREASE CANCER RISKS Young children living near nuclear power plants have a significantly higher risk of developing leukemia and other forms of cancer, according to researchers in Germany. The study was conducted by the University of Mainz for Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection, and reported in the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The researchers found that 37 children living within a 3-mile radius of nuclear power plants had developed leukemia between 1980 and 2003, while the statistical average during this period was 17. The newspaper cited an unnamed radiation protection expert familiar with the study who said its conclu- sions understated the problem. He said the data showed there was an increased cancer risk for children living within 30 miles of a reactor. Germany plans to prematurely shut down all of its nuclear power plants by the early 2020s.