Magnesium may be as important to kids’ bone health as calcium

Parents are advised to make sure their children drink milk and eat other calcium-rich foods to build strong bones. Soon, they also may be urged to make sure their kids eat salmon, almonds and other foods high in magnesium ? another nutrient that may play an important role in bone health, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.

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First-ever treatment for rare childhood aging disease shows improvement in all trial participants

Results of the first-ever clinical drug trial for children with Progeria, a rare, fatal “rapid-aging” disease, demonstrate the efficacy of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug originally developed to treat cancer. The clinical trial results, completed only six years after scientists identified the cause of Progeria, included significant improvements in weight gain, bone structure and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system, according to The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) and Boston Children’s Hospital. The study results were published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Epub ahead of print).

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Why do infants get sick so often?

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System are helping to quell parents’ worry about why infants seem to get sick so often.

It’s been believed that, like walking and talking, fighting viral infections is something children will develop when they get older. But a U-M study suggests the natural ability to fight infection is there early on.

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UCSF-led team discovers cause of rare disease

A large, international team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has identified the gene that causes a rare childhood neurological disorder called PKD/IC, or “paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia with infantile convulsions,” a cause of epilepsy in babies and movement disorders in older children.

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Can breastfeeding reduce pain in preterm infants?

Poorly managed pain in the neonatal intensive care unit has serious short- and long-term consequences, causing physiological and behavioral instability in preterm infants and long-term changes in their pain sensitivity, stress arousal systems, and developing brains. In a study published in the November issue of PAIN®, researchers report that breastfeeding during minor procedures mitigated pain in preterm neonates with mature breastfeeding behaviors.

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Kansas researchers find enriched infant formulas benefit brain and heart

University of Kansas scientists have found new evidence that infant formulas fortified with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are good for developing brains and hearts.

In the randomized, double-blind study, 122 term infants were fed one of four formulas from birth to 12 months; three with varying levels of two LCPUFAs (DHA and ARA) and one formula with no LCPUFA, and tested at four, six and nine months of age.

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70 percent of 8-month-olds consume too much salt

Seventy per cent of eight-month-old babies have a salt (sodium chloride) intake higher than the recommended UK maximum level, due to being fed salty and processed foods like yeast extract, gravy, baked beans and tinned spaghetti.

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The safety of daily magnesium oxide treatment for children with chronic constipation

Magnesium-containing cathartics are commonly used to treat chronic constipation. Although hypermagnesemia is a rare clinical condition, it can occur as a side effect of increased intake of magnesium salts. The Japanese government has recently reported fatal cases of hypermagnesemia in adults treated with magnesium oxide. It is now important for pediatricians to know whether hypermagnesemia can develop in children with functional constipation who are receiving daily magnesium oxide treatment.

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Processed food diet in early childhood may lower subsequent IQ

Are dietary patterns in childhood associated with IQ at 8 years of age? A population-based cohort study

A diet, high in fats, sugars, and processed foods in early childhood may lower IQ, while a diet packed full of vitamins and nutrients may do the opposite, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

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Is ‘breast only’ for first 6 months best?

Analysis: 6 months of exclusive breast feeding: How good is the evidence?

Current guidance advising mothers in the UK to exclusively breast feed for the first six months of their baby’s life is being questioned by child health experts on bmj.com today.

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