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Mothers' early pregnancy weight influences kids’ BMI into adolescence

Children born to mothers with higher BMI in early pregnancy have greater weight and BMI from birth through age 10, regardless of prenatal lifestyle interventions. Paternal BMI also plays a significant role in childhood obesity risk.

10 May 2025

Using gas stoves at home significantly increases cancer risk

A new study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials modeled benzene emissions from the top 5% of gas stoves in U.S. homes, finding elevated cancer risks, especially for children, in poorly ventilated spaces. Using validated simulations, the researchers estimated up to 69 additional leukemia cases annually under high-use, unventilated scenarios.

10 May 2025

Machine learning model guides smarter gene selection in newborn screening

More than a decade ago, researchers launched the BabySeq Project, a pilot program to return newborn genomic sequencing results to parents and measure the effects on newborn care.

10 May 2025

Liver disease in pregnancy linked to higher risk of preterm birth

Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal eClinicalMedicine.

9 May 2025

Parental genes found to play role in child outcomes without direct inheritance

Parents' genes - even when not directly inherited by a child - may play a role in their educational and mental health outcomes, finds a new report by UCL researchers.

9 May 2025

FDA and NIH launch joint effort to tackle diet-related chronic disease

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new, joint innovative research initiative that will serve as a key element in fulfilling U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s commitment to Make America Healthy Again.

9 May 2025

Most of today’s children could endure historic heatwaves as planet warms

A Nature study projects that millions born after 1960 will face unprecedented lifetime exposure (ULE) to climate extremes, such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods. The risks grow with global warming and disproportionately impact socioeconomically vulnerable populations.

8 May 2025

Why your baby’s first steps may be written in their DNA

Researchers identified 11 genetic loci linked to the age at which infants start walking, revealing that this milestone is influenced by thousands of common genetic variants. These genetic factors also correlate with brain development, cognitive traits, and neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD.

8 May 2025

Nirsevimab slashes RSV hospitalizations in infants by 78% in real-world study

A Spanish study found that nirsevimab prophylaxis significantly reduced infant hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and severe symptoms linked to RSV and other respiratory viruses. Hospitalizations for RSV dropped by 78% following nirsevimab rollout in Madrid maternity wards.

8 May 2025

FAU CARD releases free resource to prevent drowning in autistic children

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children aged 1 to 4 in Florida, and children with autism face even greater danger – many times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers.

8 May 2025

Maternal health during pregnancy linked to higher blood pressure in children

Children born to mothers with obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure than children born to mothers without these risk factors, according to a new USC study.

8 May 2025

Eating avocado in pregnancy cuts infant food allergy risk by nearly half

Pregnant women who ate avocado were significantly less likely to have children with food allergies at 12 months of age. The association held even after adjusting for maternal diet quality, lifestyle, and perinatal factors in a large Finnish cohort.

8 May 2025

Study finds early sexual abuse common among male and female survivors

Nearly one out of five women and one out of seven men aged 20 and older globally faced sexual violence as a child, according to a study published in The Lancet today.

8 May 2025

Study highlights the link between adverse childhood experiences and adolescent suicidality

A recent doctoral dissertation reveals that adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect, predisposes adolescents to suicidality.

8 May 2025

Air pollution reshapes children’s nasal microbiome and reduces diversity in winter

A new study from Milan reveals that short-term exposure to air pollutants like black carbon and VOCs significantly alters the nasal microbiota of school-aged children. These changes vary by season, with winter exposure reducing microbial diversity and favoring potentially pathogenic bacteria.

7 May 2025

Teen drivers face higher risks in older vehicles

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Newer vehicles and driver assistance technologies show promise in reducing crashes and injury severities.

7 May 2025

Researchers trace origins of aggressive childhood brain tumors

Medulloblastoma is one of the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in children and adolescents. It develops in the area of the cerebellum, which is responsible for movement coordination, among other things.

7 May 2025

Baby's first steps influenced by genetics

The age at which babies take their first steps is strongly influenced by their genes, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

7 May 2025

Healthy diet in childhood linked to later onset of menstruation

Eating a healthy diet as a child is linked to girls having their first menstrual period at an older age than those who consumed a less healthy diet, according to a new study published today (Wednesday) in Human Reproduction, one of the world's leading reproductive medicine journals.

6 May 2025

Mental health diagnoses rise sharply among publicly insured children

In the first comprehensive investigation into the trends of mental health diagnoses among children with public health insurance, a new study reports the percentage of mental health and neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses increased substantially in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 May 2025