The Science of Believing in Santa

Ho ho, here's the study of the week: What can science tell us about belief in Santa, and how it affects our kids? Find out. Also...

• Remember how I said to go ahead and have that sip of wine? Well, another study says not so fast.
• Genetic testing for ... prowess on the football field? "Snake oil," says one expert.
  
• This week's food allergy article, courtesy of the Gray Lady. There's some fascinating research going on comparing American and Chinese families.
  
• A 70-year-old gives birth!
• A follow-up to last week's story about autism, mental disorders and genetics. There's likely more at play.
• A family's lifestyle--e.g. television and eating habits--helps determine whether people grow up to be overweight. Duh!
• The lessening of teens smoking weed is, er, lessening.
• Autumn babies have a 30 percent greater risk of asthma than babies born during the other three seasons.
• And finally: The latest in the question of whether breastfeeding helps women lose weight: Yes. Woo hoo!

This is Your Brain on Poverty (And More Stories)

I'm trying the weekly digest format this week. This is striking: A new study shows that brains of high-income children function differently than those of low-income children. So differently, in fact, that for the poorer kids, according to one psychologist, "it is a similar pattern to what's seen in patients with strokes that have led to lesions in their prefrontal cortex"--prefrontal cortex being the part of the brain related to problem solving. Also:

• Imagine a tug-of-war between genes. On one side: autism and related conditions. On the other: mental disorders like schizophrenia. A must-read.

• In a massive survey, a whopping 64 percent of high school students admitted to cheating on a test, and 30 percent to shoplifting.

• See how scientists are working to genetically engineer peanuts that don't cause fatal allergic reactions.

Go Ahead, Turn on the Tube

Now this is news: Television might be good for your kids. That's right. A recent study has shown that it may help boost test scores, especially in disadvantaged homes. And it isn't even the first to dispel the popular notion that the boob tube is the root of all evil. One scientist jokes that she can summarize her 25 years of research about television in one sentence: "It's the content that matters."
PS - After I wrote this I stumbled onto another article that says the opposite. The take-home message of a review of 173 studies of media consumption is that kids who spend a lot of time with TV, movies, music, and video games are more likely to smoke, do drugs, get low grades and reach unhealthy weights. Ouch.
Actually I think these both back up my approach to TV and computer at home: Good content in moderation.

Why Some Teens Don't Use Condoms

I like the idea presented in this blog to get some marketing gurus to work their magic on condoms. This follows a study of 1400 sexual active young people--all of whom reported having had unprotected sex in the preceding 90 days. The study suggests that young people avoid condoms because they think condoms detract from pleasure and because they worry that their partners will disapprove. And condom use does not necessarily increase with age or education level. I've already written that I think comprehensive sex ed is key, but of course there are no simple answers here.

CDC Confirms Growth in Childhood Food Allergies

I'll be going back to a few stories I didn't get to cover in October, and this is one I think is so important, if not surprising: The number of children with food allergies grew 18 percent in a decade, from 1997 to 2007, according to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In real numbers, that's 3 million kids in 2007. Wow. I hope we see the growth in allergy research match the growth in allergies themselves so we can start answering the "why" question.

Trace Melamine in US Infant Formula

Not good: U.S. Food and Drug Administration screeners have discovered trace amounts of the chemical melamine in major brands of baby formula sold in the United States. Although the FDA has assured people that the formula is safe, it previously said that no amount of melamine is safe for babies. Which is it? Melamine can cause kidney and bladder stones, and, in extreme cases, kidney failure and death. At least four babies died earlier this year after Chinese manufacturers added melamine to infant formula to make it appear more protein-rich. In the U.S. formula, all signs point to the melamine being introduced via the manufacturing process and not through deliberate addition or tampering. And no U.S. illnesses have been linked to melamine consumption. That won't stop many U.S. parents from being disturbed by this news.

Phthalates: The Latest

Here's an update on a post from this summer about Congress's decision to ban phthalates from toys and other children's products. Studies have indicated that these chemicals may cause reproductive problems in kids. But parents should be aware that the new ban doesn't take effect until February 10, so it to won't apply to holiday gifts. Furthermore, regulators from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency that the new law was designed to reform, have decided that if the product was produced before that date, it's in the clear. Some consumer groups are crying foul, saying that decision runs counter to the spirit of the law. After all, if parents buy toys in March, how are they to know whether it was produced before or after February 10? On the other side of this, of course, are the toy companies, who are still struggling with how they will comply with the law. More studies on phthalates' effects on human health are no doubt eagerly awaited by all.

Drinking While Pregnant: Not Black and White

Remember those occasional sips of wine you had while you were pregnant? Or was it just me? Well, there's no reason to feel guilty about it, according to new research involving more than 12,000 kids. It showed that moms who had the equivalent of one drink a week while pregnant did not increase their chances of having babies with mental impairments or behavioral problems. In fact, their kids were less likely to have those sorts of issues and performed better in some tests than the children of teetotalers. I should emphasize that this is about light drinking--so moms-to-be, back away from the tequila shots!

Teen Delinquency All Media's Fault

Sounds like a headline from The Onion, doesn't it? And yet, studies were reported in the most recent issue of Pediatrics that linked the media to harmful teen behaviors. One study, which tracked more than 700 adolescents for three years, shows that teens who watch a lot of television involving sex are much more likely than their peers to get pregnant or get someone pregnant. Apparently other studies have found links between watching steamy TV and early sexual activity and sexually-transmitted diseases, but this is the first one that links to pregnancy.
Another study indicates that children and teens who play violent video games show increased physical aggression for months (!) afterward. The authors looked at data from the United States and Japan and found similar effects in both countries, which is interesting because Japan has a lower crime rate than we do. The American Academy of Pediatrics already recommends limiting children's TV, computer and video game time to one or two hours a day, but officials there are revisiting the recommendation and plan to release a new statement on media violence next year.

Can Bedroom Fans Lower SIDS Risk?

SIDS is such a terrifying prospect for any new parent that it's no wonder there seem to be so many scientific studies on it. Doctors have pointed to a number of ways to lower the risk: Put babies to sleep on their backs, for example, and avoid surrounding them with loose or thick bedding. Now there's something new to think about: bedroom fans. A recent study found that infants sleeping in a room with a moving fan had a 72 percent lower risk for SIDS than their fanless fellow babies. The theory is that the fan circulates air and lessens the chance that a baby will re-inhale his or her own breath. Fresh air means more oxygen. Before dashing out to the Walmart to plunk down for a new fan though, parents should note that the study is far from conclusive and needs to be backed up by other studies.
In other baby and toddler health news, major players in the cough and cold medicine industry have agreed to put labels on their products warning that they are not for use in children under 4, following an FDA recommendation that parents avoid giving cold meds to their young kids.

FDA's BPA SNAFU

Remember how the FDA said BPA is safe? Well, an advisory panel to the agency thinks maybe not. The panel seems to concur with the idea that FDA analysts relied too heavily on industry-funded studies and excluded other important evidence. Now what? To sum up an FDA statement: More research is already moving forward. Also, don't panic.
The National Institutes of Health has a handy BPA summary here.
Actually, I agree with the not panicking part. Some baby gear stores have been offering free swaps: Bring in your baby bottles and trade them for BPA-free plastic or glass. Good deal!

This Halloween

I realize I've been somewhat MIA this month, but I expect to be back to more frequent posting after the election! For now, I want to point out two things that are going on this Halloween.
1. Anyone who has read this blog knows that food allergies are a special interest of mine, so I'm excited to announce a new website designed to help allergic kids and their families: AllergyFreeHalloween.org. Join the effort and give out treats this Halloween that are allergy-friendly. Visit the site to download a door sign indicating your household's allergy-friendly status, learn about "safe" treats, and join a Facebook community.
2. Bisphenol A will be in the news again Friday when the Food and Drug Administration's Science Board convenes a public meeting on BPA. If anything interesting happens, you know this is the place to find out.

Chelation Study Scuttled

Remember the story about chelation, the controversial autism treatment that federal scientists were talking about studying? Well, the proposed study is officially off the table. Not only that, but a second chelation study, this one for heart attack survivors, is under investigation. These are tricky issues--the studies could be useful, but clearly the safety concerns are giving people pause.

Born Big? Don't Skip the Breast Exams

This one is fascinating: Baby girls who are heavier and longer when they are born seem to be at a greater risk for breast cancer when they get older. The risk goes up as the birth size goes up. It's crazy to think that your birth weight and length could tell you something about what your health might look like decades later.

Vaccines: Still Good Medicine

I read an interesting review of a book by pediatrician Paul Offit that seeks to give the history of the anti-vaccine movement and reassure parents that vaccines are good medicine. In the opening anecdote we learn the doctor has been terrorized by anti-vaccine quacks, including one who announced he knew Offit's children and where they went to school. Chilling. Another thing that comes up in the article is the tendency I think we all have to want the quick fix, the easy answer. Science doesn't work that way, which is hard when you're looking for hope. But that rigor is what makes scientific research so valuable.
Also on this topic: After a number of measles outbreaks and reports of parents saying no to immunizations, twenty-two medical groups have banded together to bolster public confidence in vaccines.