Heavier children at higher risk for allergies—Moderate portions are once again encouraged as new research ties overeating with food and other allergies. The National
Institutes of Health researchers analyzed health survey data from 4,111 kids ages two to 19. They found that obese children were 26% more likely to suffer from allergies than trimmer children. Heavier children also had a 59% higher rate of food allergies. They defined obesity as being in the 95th percentile of the BMI for the child’s age. There was not a clear reason why heavier children were more prone to allergies.
Physical fitness once again tied to academic success—A study presented at the American Heart Association’s 2010 Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism reported that exercise strengthens kids’ brains as well as their bodies. Scientists evaluated the physical fitness and standardized academic test scores of 725 fifth graders, then compared the data with the children’s fitness and school performance two years later in the seventh grade. Students who were athletic in both grades had the best test scores in reading, math, social studies, and science tests, followed by those who were out-of-shape in the fifth grade but became fit by the seventh grade. Kids’ that were not physically active—couch potatoes—reported the lowest scores.
