Brain Exercises to Help Kids with Math Skills
Razi Berry Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes […]
Children’s Heart Health Means Brain Health Later in Life
Razi Berry Managing weight, blood pressure and cholesterol in children may help protect brain function in later life, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation. This is the first study to highlight that cardiovascular risk factors accumulated from childhood through mid-life may influence poor cognitive performance at midlife. […]
Masculinity Linked to Better Dad Parenting
Razi Berry In some men, having traditional masculine characteristics such as competitiveness and adventurousness was linked to being better fathers to infants, a new study found. But the men in this study — highly educated and from dual-earner couples — combined those stereotypically masculine traits with the belief that they should be nurturing, highly involved […]
Sugar is a Toxin to a Child’s Brain
Razi Berry Sugar practically screams from the shelves of your grocery store, especially those products marketed to kids. Children are the highest consumers of added sugar, even as high-sugar diets have been linked to health effects like obesity and heart disease and even impaired memory function. However, less is known about how high sugar consumption […]
Green Tea Helps Facial Development in Down Syndrome Individuals
Razi Berry A new study led by Belgian and Spanish researchers published in Scientific Reports adds evidence about the potential benefits of green tea extracts in Down syndrome. The researchers observed that the intake of green tea extracts can reduce facial dysmorphology in children with Down syndrome when taken during the first three years of […]
Harmful Chemicals in Toys
Razi Berry It has long been known that several chemicals used in plastic toys in different parts of the world can be harmful to human health. However, it is difficult for parents to figure out how to avoid plastic toys containing chemicals that may cause possible health risks to their children. Regulations and labelling schemes […]
The Way Children Eat Will Impact Their Diets for the Rest of Life
Razi Berry Eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter your microbiome for life, even if you later learn to eat healthier, a new study in mice suggests. The study by UC Riverside researchers is one of the first to show a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut […]
Having Nurturing Families While Young Increases Intelligence Later in Life
Razi Berry Preschoolers living in impoverished communities who have access to a nurturing home environment have significantly higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in adolescence compared to those raised without nurturing care. That is the finding of a new international study conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, which examined data from more […]
Fathers Who Are Involved Can Lower Behavioral Issues and Improve Well-Being
Razi Berry In low-income families, fathers who are engaged in their children’s lives can help to improve their mental health and behavior, according to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick study published in the journal Social Service Review. The researchers found that adolescents in low-income families whose fathers are more frequently engaged in feeding, reading, playing and […]
Grow Food at Home for Healthier Children
Razi Berry Children grow taller in rural households where their mothers are supported to grow their own food — according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The research, which looked at households in low- and middle-income countries, showed growing their own food helped mothers to prevent stunting, wasting and underweight in […]