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Exercise Helps Kids’ Mood Disorders, Can Serve As Alternative To Meds, Review Finds

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Regular exercise can ease mood disorders in children and teens, offering an alternative to medications like antidepressants, a new evidence review has concluded. Both anxiety and depression decrease when kids take part in structured exercise programs, researchers reported June 26 in Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Further, the review found that anxiety and depression symptoms are relieved by different types of workout regimens. “Exercise is a low-cost, widely accessible strategy that could make a real difference to children’s mental health,” lead investigator Ben Singh, a research fellow with the University of South Australia, said in a news release. Importantly, exercise could help improve kids’ moods without resorting to drugs like antidepressants, researchers added. More than three-quarters of children and teens experience depression or anxiety, leaving parents desperate for effective solutions, researchers said in background notes. For the new review, researchers pooled data from 375 prior clinical trials involving more than 38,000 kids 5 to 18. Results showed that: Anxiety improved through low-intensity resistance exercise, such as lifting light weights or gentle training using circuit weight machines. Depression improved most through moderate-intensity exercise in training that combines aerobic and strength programs. The biggest improvements in depression symptoms occurred in programs lasting fewer than three months, suggesting that benefits of exercise can emerge relatively quickly, researchers said. Children with depression and ADHD…  read on >  read on >

Want To Run Better? Try Focusing Your Eyes Straight Ahead

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If you’re looking to boost your running performance, try this simple tip: Keep your eyes on the finish line. New research shows that narrowing your focus while running — especially as you get closer to the end — can help you run faster and push harder. The study, which examined nearly 1,600 runners, found that this “attentional narrowing” serves as a powerful mental strategy. “The findings offer a low-cost and simple way to improve running performance — merely by adjusting how we direct our attention,” study author Shana Cole, associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey, said. The research, published June 25 in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, looked at six studies. These included surveys of elite and casual runners, as well as experiments in which runners were asked to focus either narrowly or broadly during their runs. Runners who narrowed their attention — meaning they looked straight ahead rather than observing their surroundings — tended to run faster and showed signs of greater physical effort. “Looking at one spot ahead of you — rather than around you — can help you keep going,” lead author Emily Balcetis, an associate professor of psychology at New York University, said in a news release. In the experiments, some runners were asked to focus narrowly throughout their run, while others were told…  read on >  read on >

Want To Run Better? Try Focusing Your Eyes Straight Ahead

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If you’re looking to boost your running performance, try this simple tip: Keep your eyes on the finish line. New research shows that narrowing your focus while running — especially as you get closer to the end — can help you run faster and push harder. The study, which examined nearly 1,600 runners, found that this “attentional narrowing” serves as a powerful mental strategy. “The findings offer a low-cost and simple way to improve running performance — merely by adjusting how we direct our attention,” study author Shana Cole, associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey, said. The research, published June 25 in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, looked at six studies. These included surveys of elite and casual runners, as well as experiments in which runners were asked to focus either narrowly or broadly during their runs. Runners who narrowed their attention — meaning they looked straight ahead rather than observing their surroundings — tended to run faster and showed signs of greater physical effort. “Looking at one spot ahead of you — rather than around you — can help you keep going,” lead author Emily Balcetis, an associate professor of psychology at New York University, said in a news release. In the experiments, some runners were asked to focus narrowly throughout their run, while others were told…  read on >  read on >

Many Kids Unnecessarily Hospitalized Following Allergic Reactions

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Many kids are spending a lot of unnecessary time under observation in a hospital following a sudden allergic emergency, a new study concludes. About 17% of kids are admitted for overnight observation following a scary allergic reaction to food, medicine or insect bites, researchers reported.  But 95% of children treated for allergic reactions can be safely discharged within two hours after receiving a dose of epinephrine, according to results published in The Lancet: Child and Adolescent Health. That number rises to 98% if doctors err on the side of caution and keep kids under observation for four hours, researchers found. “For most patients, we are probably observing them too long,” said researcher Dr. Kenneth Michelson, a pediatric emergency specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “This might sound minor, but if you brought your toddler in for a scary allergic reaction, it’s the difference between going home at 11 p.m. versus going home at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m.,” he said in a news release. “Our finding gives us more confidence that after a couple of hours, if symptoms are improving in specific ways, we can probably send the child home.” Most kids who’d had an allergic reaction can be routinely treated with an epinephrine jab and sent home, researchers said in background notes. However, about 5% experience a “biphasic reaction,”…  read on >  read on >

Many Kids Unnecessarily Hospitalized Following Allergic Reactions

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Many kids are spending a lot of unnecessary time under observation in a hospital following a sudden allergic emergency, a new study concludes. About 17% of kids are admitted for overnight observation following a scary allergic reaction to food, medicine or insect bites, researchers reported.  But 95% of children treated for allergic reactions can be safely discharged within two hours after receiving a dose of epinephrine, according to results published in The Lancet: Child and Adolescent Health. That number rises to 98% if doctors err on the side of caution and keep kids under observation for four hours, researchers found. “For most patients, we are probably observing them too long,” said researcher Dr. Kenneth Michelson, a pediatric emergency specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “This might sound minor, but if you brought your toddler in for a scary allergic reaction, it’s the difference between going home at 11 p.m. versus going home at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m.,” he said in a news release. “Our finding gives us more confidence that after a couple of hours, if symptoms are improving in specific ways, we can probably send the child home.” Most kids who’d had an allergic reaction can be routinely treated with an epinephrine jab and sent home, researchers said in background notes. However, about 5% experience a “biphasic reaction,”…  read on >  read on >

High-Fiber Diet Reduces Risk of Hardened Arteries

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Noshing on veggies, grains, beans and other high-fiber foods can help your heart as well as your gut health, a new study says. People with low-fiber diets are more likely to have narrowed arteries caused by the buildup of plaque, researchers reported recently in the journal Cardiovascular Research. CT scans also revealed that people’s diets influence their risk for unstable, high-risk arterial plaques that increase their risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers said. “When we matched people’s coronary artery images with their dietary patterns, we could not only see that there is an association between dietary pattern and the presence of plaque in the coronary arteries, but also that the composition of the plaques, how dangerous they can be, is related to diet,” senior researcher Isabel Gonçalves, a professor of cardiology at Lund University in Sweden, said in a news release. Cholesterol and fats contribute to the formation of these plaques, in a process called atherosclerosis, according to the American Heart Association. These plaques cause arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow. Unstable plaques can also burst, potentially blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 24,000 people 50 to 64 who took part in a Swedish heart health study. They were recruited between 2013 and 2018; at the time, all had no heart…  read on >  read on >

High-Fiber Diet Reduces Risk of Hardened Arteries

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Noshing on veggies, grains, beans and other high-fiber foods can help your heart as well as your gut health, a new study says. People with low-fiber diets are more likely to have narrowed arteries caused by the buildup of plaque, researchers reported recently in the journal Cardiovascular Research. CT scans also revealed that people’s diets influence their risk for unstable, high-risk arterial plaques that increase their risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers said. “When we matched people’s coronary artery images with their dietary patterns, we could not only see that there is an association between dietary pattern and the presence of plaque in the coronary arteries, but also that the composition of the plaques, how dangerous they can be, is related to diet,” senior researcher Isabel Gonçalves, a professor of cardiology at Lund University in Sweden, said in a news release. Cholesterol and fats contribute to the formation of these plaques, in a process called atherosclerosis, according to the American Heart Association. These plaques cause arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow. Unstable plaques can also burst, potentially blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 24,000 people 50 to 64 who took part in a Swedish heart health study. They were recruited between 2013 and 2018; at the time, all had no heart…  read on >  read on >

Body Fat Analysis, Waist Size Better Than BMI For Assessing Health

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A person’s body fat percentage provides a better estimate of their risk for early death than their body mass index (BMI), a new study says. People with a high body-fat percentage were 78% more likely to die within 15 years from any cause and 3.6 times more likely to die from heart disease, researchers reported June 24 in the Annals of Family Medicine. On the other hand, BMI — an estimate of body fat based on height and weight — was not associated with a statistically significant higher risk of death from any cause, researchers found. Waist circumference also proved to be more accurate than BMI in assessing the risks posed by excess weight, researchers added. “This is a game changer for body composition assessment,” lead researcher Arch Mainous III, a professor of health services, management and policy at the University of Florida, said in a news release. “Our study is basically a Coke versus Pepsi comparison of a direct and indirect measure of body fat for future mortality risk,” Mainous said. “A direct measure of body fat percentage that can be done in the office was significantly better.” The new findings add to mounting evidence that BMI is not as accurate as other measures for reflecting the effect of a person’s weight on their health. “The medical community has been aware that BMI has…  read on >  read on >

Body Fat Analysis, Waist Size Better Than BMI For Assessing Health

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A person’s body fat percentage provides a better estimate of their risk for early death than their body mass index (BMI), a new study says. People with a high body-fat percentage were 78% more likely to die within 15 years from any cause and 3.6 times more likely to die from heart disease, researchers reported June 24 in the Annals of Family Medicine. On the other hand, BMI — an estimate of body fat based on height and weight — was not associated with a statistically significant higher risk of death from any cause, researchers found. Waist circumference also proved to be more accurate than BMI in assessing the risks posed by excess weight, researchers added. “This is a game changer for body composition assessment,” lead researcher Arch Mainous III, a professor of health services, management and policy at the University of Florida, said in a news release. “Our study is basically a Coke versus Pepsi comparison of a direct and indirect measure of body fat for future mortality risk,” Mainous said. “A direct measure of body fat percentage that can be done in the office was significantly better.” The new findings add to mounting evidence that BMI is not as accurate as other measures for reflecting the effect of a person’s weight on their health. “The medical community has been aware that BMI has…  read on >  read on >

Online Videos For Kids Rife With Junk Food Messaging

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Kids watching YouTube videos are being hammered with messages promoting junk food like candy, sugary drinks, fast food and sweet or salty snacks, a new study says. About 75% of 6- to 8-year-olds and 36% of 3- to 5-year-olds were fed promotions for junk food while watching YouTube or YouTube Kids videos they chose on their own mobile devices, researchers reported in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “More than half of food brands in these videos came from companies that participate in the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, a U.S. food industry self-regulatory program,” said senior investigator Jennifer Harris, a senior research advisor at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut. “Despite these companies’ pledges to only advertise healthier choices to children, child-influencers frequently promoted their brands, including candy, sugary drinks and sweet and salty snacks,” she said in a news release. For the study, researchers observed 101 kids as they watched YouTube videos in their homes for 30 minutes. About 73% of food brand appearances promoted junk food, while only 3% of food-related messages highlighted healthy options, results show. Most of this messaging occurred as part of brand appearances embedded within video content that purposely blurred food promotion with entertainment. More than 60% of food brand appearances were embedded in the video content,…  read on >  read on >