Lots of kids are picky eaters. But when eating habits in young children are extreme, it could be a sign of autism, researchers say. A new study finds atypical eating behaviors — such as hypersensitivity to food textures or pocketing food without swallowing — in 70% of kids with autism. That’s 15 times the rate typically found in children. Unusual eating behaviors are common in many 1-year-olds with autism and could alert parents and doctors that a child may have the disorder, according to study author Susan Mayes. She’s a professor of psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine. “If a primary care provider hears about these behaviors from parents, they should consider referring the child for an autism screening,” she said in a university news release. For the study, the researchers analyzed parents’ descriptions of the eating behaviors of more than 2,000 children. The kids were in two studies that compared typical children and those with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other developmental disorders. Atypical eating behaviors also include liking only an extremely small number of foods, and hypersensitivity to food temperatures. Atypical eating behaviors were seven times more common among children with autism than children with other types of developmental disorders, the Penn State researchers also found. Most of the children with autism who had atypical eating behaviors had two or more types,…  read on >

It seems as though every day brings yet another study on the effects of caffeine or coffee in particular. Researchers have looked at its effects on almost every aspect of health, from overall mortality to the heart, bones, kidneys, liver, fertility and more. Sometimes, separate studies on the same aspect of caffeine consumption have contradictory findings, creating confusion. So, what do you need to know before you take another sip? An exhaustive analysis of 1,277 existing studies published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety found that the potential benefits of drinking moderate amounts of coffee outweigh the risks. In fact, research on caffeine’s heart health benefits, published in the journal Circulation, reversed 20-year-old findings to the contrary. But just what is moderate coffee drinking? About four 8-ounce cups a day. At the other end of the spectrum, research done at the Australian Center for Precision Health has pinpointed the upper end of the safe range, finding that drinking six or more cups a day does pose a danger to heart health. This amount can lead to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. Caffeine isn’t the only active ingredient in coffee, but tracking caffeine milligrams is a good way to measure intake, with 400 milligrams a day being the limit suggested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One 8-ounce…  read on >

Experts have redefined the role of fat in healthy eating, but before you grab a chunk of cheese or another pat of butter, understand the differences between the various types of fat in your diet. For decades, guidelines recommended limiting total dietary fat to no more than 30% of daily calories, and then to a range of 20% to 35% of calories. The thinking was this would lower saturated fat and cholesterol intake, both of which were thought to increase heart disease risk. But many people restricted all types of fat, including healthy ones, like the unsaturated fats found in nuts, vegetable oils and fish. What’s more, packaged food manufacturers rushed to replace fat with unhealthy processed carbohydrates like sugar and refined grains. But research analyzing observational studies and clinical trials has found that replacing saturated fat with the refined carbohydrates found in so-called low-fat processed foods doesn’t lower heart disease risk. On the other hand, choosing polyunsaturated fats for either saturated fat or carbohydrates does. Polyunsaturated fats include both plant and marine sources of unsaturated fats, such as olive oil and fatty fish. This is true even when calories from these sources account for 35% or more of the daily diet. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee now suggests optimizing healthy fats and avoiding low-fat or even non-fat products that have high levels of refined…  read on >

The sugar substitute xylitol may help you lose weight, but it can be deadly for your dog, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Xylitol is present in many human foods and other products, and the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has received a number of reports over the past several years of dogs being poisoned by xylitol. The most recently reported case involved sugar-free ice cream, said FDA veterinarian Dr. Martine Hartogensis. Other products that may contain xylitol include: sugar-free chewing gum; breath mints; baked goods; some peanut and nut butters, sugar-free desserts; cough syrup; children’s and adult chewable vitamins; mouthwash; toothpaste; over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements. When dogs eat something containing xylitol, the sweetener is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and can trigger a surge of insulin from the pancreas. This could lead to a rapid, severe drop in blood sugar levels that can be life-threatening, according to the FDA. Symptoms of xylitol poisoning in dogs include vomiting, decreased activity, weakness, staggering, lack of coordination, collapse and seizures. If you think your dog has eaten xylitol, take it to a veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital immediately, Hartogensis advised. There are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk that your dog will consume xylitol. “Check the label for xylitol in the ingredients of products, especially ones that advertise as…  read on >