A note to parents whose schedules are so cramped for time that they often buy food for their children at drive-by, French-fried, fast-food restaurants on their way home: You may be setting them up for asthma and wheezing problems down the road, according to a new study based on the nutritional habits of some 50,000 kids around the world (including 30,000 who were tested for allergies) living in richer and poorer countries.

Diet didn't influence children's allergies, but it did play a role in lowering and raising their risks of wheezing and asthma. To the good, the ever-popular Mediterranean Diet -- full of fish, fruits and vegetables -- was generally associated with lowering these risks.

Although a diet heavy on meat had no effect on the prevalence of asthma and wheezing, eating at least three hamburgers per week was linked to a higher lifetime risk of both respiratory problems. And, eating too many burgers, researchers say, may be a big hint that other lifestyle changes are necessary.

Thorax, Vol. 65, No. 6, pp. 516-522, June 2010

MSNBC June 2, 2010

ScienceDaily June 7, 2010

healthfinder.gov June 3, 2010

With Father's Day coming fast, you may need more ammunition just to remind your kids that your brain works just as well as theirs do, and, even better in some cases. When that time comes -- and you know it will either tomorrow or down the road -- don't forget this study or to send a few kind thoughts my way for telling you about it.

Duke University researchers worked with two groups of adults (ages 18-35 and 66-76) to measure the differences and commonalities in the way both process new information and make risky decisions based on losing or gaining real money. You may or may not be surprised to learn that the assumption made about most older folks -- they make bad decisions because they're too gun-shy and risk-adverse -- is generally wrong.

Using path analysis to measure whether age had anything to do making good decisions, scientists determined "the numbers game" did have an effect on the processing speed and memory. Just not on the quality of the decisions patients made…

And, some older patients made better decisions than younger ones who had lower scores on cognitive tests. "If I took 20 younger adults and 20 older adults, all of whom were above average on these measures, then on average, you could not tell them apart based on decisions. On the whole, it is true, more older people process slowly and have poorer memory. But there are also older people who do as well as younger people," says lead researcher Dr. David Huettel.

You can bet, the next time I have an argument with one of my kids or extended family about making the right decision about anything, I'll send them a link to this blog post in nothing flat!

DukeHealth.org June 1, 2010

The Law of Unintended Consequences -- unforeseen and often undesirable outcomes as the result of a particular action -- is definitely at work in the epidemic of childhood obesity. Unfortunately, this "law," popularized by the late American sociologist Robert K. Merton, is playing out in ways that may be harming our nation's security, according to Too Fat to Fight, a report issued by Mission: Readiness, a non-profit organization tasked with growing the next generation of soldiers.

Citing recent CDC data, this 16-page analysis (free link below) argues an alarming 27 percent of young adults (ages 17-24) -- at least 9 MILLION people -- are too fat to serve in the military. The number of states with 40-49 percent of its young adult residents who were obese or overweight exploded from one in 1996-98 to 39 a decade later. And, more than 50 percent of young adults living in three states -- Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi -- are too obese to enlist right now.

When combined with other disqualifiers -- among them criminal records, a lack of education, medical conditions like asthma and drug abuse -- an estimated 75 percent of young folks would be ineligible to serve, according to a prepared statement given to the House Armed Service Services Committee in 2009 by Dr. Curtis Gilroy, currently the director of accession policy at the Pentagon who oversees active-duty recruiting.

I can't blame you one little bit if you're skeptical about these numbers (particularly because few people, save athletes, gain massive amounts of weight intentionally). I was too, until I reviewed this equally striking USA Today story by Chris Joyner who discovered similar statistical problems with local police and fire department recruiting. Although no national studies have been conducted on the fitness of police officers and fire fighters, localized reports have consistently found about 75 percent of these professionals are overweight and a third would be classified as obese. And, one Harvard expert believes these fitness numbers may foreshadow something much worse: Some departments have lowered their physical requirements to avoid discrimination lawsuits.

The only silver lining in all these numbers is a personal one for me and my family. I recall my XO soldier son, serving in the Delta Company/2nd Battalion -- 124th Infantry division in Kuwait (Army National Guard), spending his late evenings, when he wasn't training or teaching, doing 5-mile runs just to keep up with "the kids" in his unit. Mindful of the dire numbers I cited above, I can't help but be very proud of my son who is giving his best for his unit and his country. I hope you'll feel the same way after watching my son, 2nd Lt. John Beamer, who surprised me last year when he appeared in a National Guard recruiting video.

Mission: Readiness April 20, 2010 Free Full PDF Report

USA Today May 9, 2010

NJ.com/The Star-Ledger April 25, 2010

USA Today April 20, 2010

Should you need any greater incentive to do something special for Mother's Day (besides side-stepping all the grief you may experience should you forget your Mom's special day), consider the implications of this recent study that identifies a substance in breast milk that may kill cancer cells.

The component -- HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) -- was discovered by researchers years ago by accident while studying the antibacterial effects of breast milk. More recent studies from Swedish scientists (review the links below) have begun to unravel HAMLET's benefits, specifically those triggering apoptosis (programmed cellular death) in 40 different kinds of tumors but not affecting healthy cells.

The most recent study found bladder tumors shrank in a group of patients only five days after being treated with a breast milk compound. And, in another study, the HAMLET-based compound, this time made into a cream, reduced the size of warts by 75 percent.

HAMLET's ability to kill unhealthy cells and not healthy ones may go a long way toward explaining why breast milk and breastfeeding is so beneficial for a baby's health.

PLOS One April 14, 2010 Free Full Text Study

PLOS One February 23, 2010 Free Full Text Study

Daily Mail April 27, 2010

ScienceDaily April 23, 2010

We LOVE talking about pets in this space, and not only because they're part of our family: Taking care of them is good for our collective spiritual and physical health.

That said, I've gotten into trouble before with dog-loving members of my family for a late January post I wrote about a medium-sized pooch potentially having a larger carbon footprint than a Toyota SUV. I don't expect this latest post about elevating your child's chances of asthma by owning a dog will improve my peacetime chances for détente anytime soon.

Long story short, based on a study of some 380 children with a history of asthma in their pet-owning families, kids exposed to high levels of dog allergens were more likely at age 7 to be diagnosed with asthma. Scientists believe the culprit may be endotoxin. These microscopic invaders generated by bacteria can cause inflammation in a child's airways, perhaps, because continued exposure to dogs doesn't confer an immune response. On the other hand, researchers found no connection between a kid's asthma risks and exposure to cat allergens.

Which is why researchers believe families should base their decisions to own pets on their desire to have them, not on the potential asthma risk. And, for the record, I've been diagnosed with asthma in recent years, but would sooner cut off my right hand than to give up any of our four-legged family members. Pay a visit to the your local branch of the Anti-Cruelty Society, however, and you'll find many folks have given up their cats for that very reason.

By the way, if you haven't noticed, I'm always on the lookout for very unique and fun pictures of pets to grace these random blog posts, like the one of Wrigley taken by my pal Kristen Siebecker. If you have a picture of Fido you've always wanted to share with the world, feel free to send them to my attention at waynebeamer.cnca@att.net. All responses will be acknowledged, and you'll receive the proper credit if and when we use them.

Can't wait to see 'em…

Image source: Kristen Siebecker of her beloved Wrigley

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology March 19, 2010

KDKA.com April 9, 2010

MSNBC April 7, 2010

The list of contaminants that can potentially harm young folks has grown exponentially with this latest study that found exposure to endocrine disruptors -- common chemicals used to make shampoos, nail polish and other consumer products -- can upset the timing of puberty in young girls, and set the stage for further health problems, among them breast cancer, down the road.

Scientists analyzed urine samples collected from 1,151 young girls (ages 4-9) living in New York, metro Cincinnati and northern California to study the impact of their exposure of phenols, phytoestrogens and phthalates, substances that were very obvious and widely detectable. Some chemicals were linked to later puberty (one subset of phthalates detected in patient samples is used to make plastic tubing), while others used in the production of lotions and shampoos were responsible for earlier physical maturation.

The really serious health problem may not show up until adulthood, however, says Dr, Mary Wolff, a professor of preventative medicine and oncological sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "We believe that there are certain periods of vulnerability in the development of the mammary gland, and exposure to these chemicals may influence breast cancer risk in adulthood." Larger BMIs may contribute to puberty problems too.

An interesting sidenote: Some endocrine disruptors are used by manufacturers to coat supplements and medications in order to trigger a timed-release mechanism.

Environmental Health Perspectives April 2010 Free Full Text Study

healthfinder.gov April 8, 2010

Mount Sinai School of Medicine April 5, 2010

If your Mom had read the headline above, do you think she would've let you eat that second or third hamburger lovingly appointed with heaps of lard-soaked French fries back in the day? Don't think so...

Having been overweight for most of my entire life, this Swedish study about the long-term effects of obesity for kids beyond childhood -- one of an alarming handful that have hit the media recently -- really hit home with me.

After studying the health of nearly 5,000 American Indian children over some 40 years for links, researchers learned adults who had been obese kids with the highest body mass index more than doubled their risk of premature death before their 55th birthday. In addition to obesity, high blood sugar levels elevated a patient's early mortality risks by an alarming 73 percent.

Don't be too quick to dismiss these numbers as unique either, because, scientists say, previous studies of American Indian patients tend to predict the future health of Americans accurately by 10-20 years.

Just a reminder, obesity also contributes in a major way to cancer, at a rate of 100,000 new cases every year.

New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 362, No. 6, pp. 485-493, February 11, 2010 Free Full Text Study

BusinessWeek February 10, 2010

New York Times February 10, 2010

Among the more prominent effects of Title IX -- a law passed by Congress nearly 40 years ago that ensures boys and girls receive equal treatment in all educational programs that receive federal funding -- was the way it revolutionized athletic programs for young American women.

Despite considerable progress on some fronts, when it comes to the health of female athletes, unfortunately, those glass ceilings remain intact, says Dr. Vicki Harber, a Canadian exercise physiologist who has developed The Female Athlete Perspective, a guide for parents, athletic administrators and coaches that addresses medical issues that affect the participation of women in sports.

To that end, Harber discovered female athletes often experience far greater rates of specific musculoskeletal injuries -- knee and shoulder issues plus an increased risk of re-injury -- and medical conditions -- osteoporosis, eating disorders and amenorrhea -- than do their male counterparts.

The difference in the number of injuries between young men and women can be as great as sixfold, according to the report, because countless training programs for female athletes are based on research using young adult males which doesn't take the biological differences between the sexes into account.

And that may largely explain why my injury-prone daughter never progressed as a competitive swimmer much beyond her middle school years too...

EurekAlert January 25, 2010 Free Full PDF Report

Lots of research has documented the deleterious effect a lack of sleep can have on the health of adults, specifically raising their risks of diabetes. Less sleep each night -- eight hours or less -- may also harm your kids, elevating their blood sugar and, eventually, raising their risk of diabetes.

Chinese scientists discovered the sleepy link to adult diabetes while observing the health of more than 600 obese children (ages 3-6), then comparing them to an equal number of kids who maintained a healthy weight and had no blood sugar issues. Overall, 47 percent of the obese kids monitored spent less time in the sack (eight hours or less per night), compared to non-obese patients (37 percent).

As a result, obese children who slept fewer hours were more than twice as likely to experience higher blood sugar levels. The lack of sleep, however, also harmed the health of the non-obese as well, elevating their blood sugar by a factor of 1.35. Possibly, the most telling statistic: Of the nearly 300 obese children who got less than eight hours of sleep each night, 49 patients experienced high blood sugar problems, more than double the number of overweight kids with elevated blood sugar who slept nine or 10 hours a night.

All the more reason to review our recent feature on improving your sleep habits and your child's.

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Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 164, No. 1, pp. 46-52, January 2010

Reuters.com January 11, 2010

Just as supplements have been plagued with inconsistent quality and toxic substances, so have cosmetics and jewelry marketed for kids that have been contaminated with lead, according to studies conducted in Ireland and Canada.

In one set of tests, Irish researchers detected lead levels in children's cosmetics purchased in discount stores exceeded recommended safe limits by a factor of 500, and more testing discovered lead concentrations as high as 10,000 mg in some cosmetics.

If that doesn't worry you enough, the news is even worse in Canada, as more than half of the children's jewelry tested by Health Canada's product safety laboratory last year (39 out of 67 pieces) was made of pure lead. Amazingly, 20 pieces contained levels of lead ranging from 80-95 percent, comparable to amounts found in common car batteries.

Although the CDC appears to be keeping close tabs on toxic amounts of lead found in children's jewelry, the same can't necessarily be said for lipsticks. Although a recent FDA study found lead in 20 brands of red lipstick produced by 10 different manufacturers at levels four times greater than those reported in independent tests, the agency hasn't released the list of products tested to the public, nor has it developed any safety standard governing lead levels in lipstick.

If you've been looking for a less toxic lipstick, check out this list of safer, lead-free options from The Daily Green.

Independent.ie December 24, 2009

Kelowna.com December 22, 2009

The Daily Green September 1, 2009

Just when childhood cancer survivors thought they were disease-free and out of the woods, a recent British Medical Journal study has found younger patients have a much higher risk of developing heart disease as adults. Even worse, the complications that lead to various cardiovascular risks -- among them inflammation of the heart, heart attack, heart valve problems and heart failure -- may occur up to 30 years after surviving cancer.

Those aren't the only dire numbers culled from this study of more than 14,000 patients who were diagnosed with cancer before age 21, between 1970-86, along with some 3,900 of their siblings. Cancer survivors were as much as six times more likely to suffer from heart-related diseases than their healthier siblings.

What's more, patients who survived Hodgkin's lymphoma as young people had an amazingly high 30-fold higher risk of cardiac death and an even greater 41-fold increase in mortality rates related to myocardial infarction, compared to the general population in the same age range.

Another worrisome link that harms younger cancer survivors later in life: The risk of heart problems was evident at lower exposures to radiation therapy and anthracyclines, antibiotics used to treat many kinds of cancer.

British Medical Journal December 8, 2009 Free Full Text Study

Telegraph.co.uk December 9, 2009

ScienceDaily December 10, 2009

Evidently, the voluntary end of the controversial Smart Choices labeling program late last month didn't mean the Kellogg Co. -- one of the world's largest producers of cereals with 2008 sales of some $13 billion -- was through giving up on making controversial claims about the foods it sells.

With the emergence of swine flu in the minds and bodies of Americans, Kellogg Co. announced its Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies cereals were being labeled with Now Helps Support Your Child's IMMUNITY, a claim many critics blasted out of the gate with a passion. The best of bunch came from Kelly Brownell, the director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, as reported by USA Today: This one belongs in the hall of fame. By their logic, you can spray vitamins on a pile of leaves and it will boost immunity.

Fortunately for you and the health of your family, Kellogg took all these loud "hints" delivered by the media to heart, calling for a halt to these immunity claims, citing the public's growing concerns about the swine flu epidemic. Judge for yourself just how much Cocoa Krispies really boosts your child's immunity by checking out its laundry list of ingredients.

Associated Press November 5, 2009

USA Today November 2, 2009

TimesCall.com October 29, 2009

Millions of American children aren't getting the minimum amount of vitamin D they desperately need every day to build healthy bones, according to a new study. In fact, these findings support growing evidence that vitamin D levels, particularly among Hispanic and black kids, have dropped to unhealthy norms.

After reviewing health data collected from 2001-06 on 5,000 children, scientists found some 20 percent of all kids had vitamin D levels below the minimums set for children by the American Academy of Pediatrics (50nmol/L).

However, more than two-thirds of the children surveyed had vitamin D levels below 75 nmol/L, the amount some adult studies have suggested as a minimum that lowers the risk of some cancers and heart disease. Using that higher measurement, vitamin D levels among Hispanic and black children dropped like a rock by 80 and 92 percent, respectively.

On the other end of age spectrum, a coalition of European doctors is considering formalizing a standard for vitamin D levels among seniors older than age 75 (albeit a conservative one) that could eventually yield better bone health among all age groups. If you are considering supplementing your diet with vitamin D be sure to chose a formula that contains natural vitamin D3, which helps to increase absorption of dietary calcium while decreasing calcium excretion from the body.

Pediatrics, Vol. 124, No. 5, pp. 1404-1410, November 2009

ScienceDaily October 27, 2009

healthfinder.gov October 26, 2009

NutraIngredients.com October 26, 2009

Children may face cancer even before they leave their mother's womb, an extremely rare scenario but a legitimate risk according to a case study of a Japanese woman and her baby daughter who developed leukemia.

By using advanced genetic fingerprinting techniques, British researchers determined the baby's leukemia cells had developed in the mother and that both patients shared the very same mutated cancer genes. Also, this genetic detective work proved that the baby couldn't have developed leukemia on her own because she didn't inherit these genes from her mom.

So why didn't the infant's immune system ward off cancer cells on its own? The leukemia cells lacked bits of DNA that would've given them their own unique genetic identity, thus the infant's immune system didn't recognize them as a foreign and harmful invader. This lack of recognition allowed the leukemia cells to migrate through the mother's placenta to her child's bloodstream.

Before you start worrying about the health of your baby or grandchild, here's some perspective: There have been only 17 recorded cases (typically melanoma or leukemia) in which a mother and baby shared the same cancer.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, No. 42, pp. 17882-17885, October 20, 2009

BBC News October 12, 2009

WebMD October 12, 2009

A consortium of some 40 processed food manufacturers led by Sara Lee, Coca-Cola, Kraft, General Mills, Mars and PepsiCo and organizations like the Grocery Manufacturers Association and American Dietetic Association Foundation have joined forces to launch the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), a group whose primary goal is to reduce obesity levels, particularly among young children.

Pledging to be "aggressive" and as "proactive and visible as possible," members of the HWCF have committed $20 million to a three-pronged attack on obesity in schools, the marketplace and workplace.

Are you impressed by the collective efforts of the food industry and various public interest groups to curb the epidemic of obesity or just a bit skeptical, considering the recent announcement of the Smart Choices Program?

Fortunately, according to the Los Angeles Times, one non-profit group -- the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- will spend part of its $500 million budget devoted to fighting childhood obesity by being an independent watchdog of various HWCF's marketplace programs.

Los Angeles Times October 5, 2009

NutraIngredients-USA.com October 5, 2009

Supermarket News October 6, 2009