That's Fit

Maggie reported yesterday that 40 percent of infants and toddlers are not getting enough vitamin D. Now a new analysis of current research on vitamin D supplementation and diabetes risk reveals vitamin D may prevent type 1 in some infants.

According to a review of existing research, infants supplemented with vitamin D were 29 percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than children who had not received supplements. Twenty-nine percent is pretty significant. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends nursing mothers supplement their breastfed infants since breastmilk typically does not contain much vitamin D.

I have a very strong family history of type 1 diabetes -- both my brothers and parents are type 1. My six-year-old and three-year-old were breastfed, nearly 7 months and 13 months, respectively. I wish I knew about this possible connection during their infant years. But at least we did live in sunny Florida for a significant time during their infancy, as sun exposure is one natural way to trigger vitamin D production. Regardless, before supplementing your infant with vitamin D, consult your pediatrican first.

Peanut allergies have become pretty popular. And what causes them remains a bit confusing.

When my now almost three-year-old daughter was a baby, our pediatrician told us the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended peanut consumption be delayed until age three because the allergy was believed to be developed due to repeated exposure at a very young age. But new studies suggest no relation between allergies to peanuts and when a child began eating them. This is what AAP had to say. Since the cause is still clear as mud, study authors recommend more research on the cause of early allergic reactions to peanuts, as well as successful prevention efforts.

Meanwhile, we're still eating sunflower seed butter in our house. This web page touts its similarity to peanut butter in consistency, taste and price and offers a nutritional breakdown (it does contain a bit more sugar than some peanut butters). We started when the pediatrician gave us the nitty gritty on nut allergies and we have no plans to stop. It's really tasty. I like it better than peanut butter. We pick up a couple jars every time we go to Trader Joe's. But it's also available in other local markets.

So until researchers come up with some more news on peanuts, consider sunflower seed butter as a tasty alternative that you don't have to worry about.

When I became a mom for the first time, my own mother remarked on how much parenting techniques had changed since she was a young mother. I told her frequently, "Just you wait." I know how quickly health advice can change, and I'm sure that by the time my own girls are mothers they'll roll their eyes at our co-sleeping, sling-wearing ways.

One piece of advice that isn't likely to change is that breast milk is the best first food for babies. But a piece of breastfeeding advice that's been commonly dispensed for the last several years is being discarded due to lack of evidence.

Expectant and breastfeeding mothers have often been told to avoid eating foods like milk and peanuts to prevent allergies in their unborn or nursing children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics is now saying that there's no evidence that avoiding allergenic foods will reduce the risk of your child developing allergies.

Good news, especially if you're in your third trimester and craving a milkshake!

As a person, global warming leaves me wondering what the future holds for our planet. As a parent, it leaves me wondering what that future planet will be like for my children. That's a question that no one can answer right now, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a report that claims that children are likely to be hit harder by changing climate than the rest of us.

The AAP is concerned that increased pollution will cause an increase in diseases like asthma, and that the increased rainfall will bring about more waterborne infections. In addition, as mosquito zones increase, so does malaria -- particularly dangerous to young children. The AAP has recommended that pediatricians add their voice to the issue by educating their local officials. You can find links to the actual report and the AAP's policy statement here.

Julie's Health Club recently wrote a thoughtful article on the lack of evidence for pediatric prescriptions. She shared that Western medical doctors are often skeptical when she shares a nutritional or natural/alternative treatment option to readers. Like Jerry Maguire's famous line, "Show me the money!", these docs say "Show me the evidence for your remedy!" Julie says "it's a puzzling double standard" as there is a serious lack of clinical research on the pediatric prescriptions many of these same docs are prescribing.

Beyond the title of this post, here are few startling statistics you should know:

• Nearly 80 percent of hospitalized children receive drugs tested/approved only for adults, according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers. 28 percent received morphine, even though the FDA has not approved it for pediatric use. Morphine in children has led to bleeding in the brain, among other adverse effects/outcomes.
• One study found 81 percent of doctor visits for kids with sleep problems ended with a prescription. Keep in mind, no FDA-approved sleep drugs for children exist.
• The FDA has not approved an autism medication, but 80 percent of autistic children are on at least one psychiatric drug.

Julie also points out drugs are usually the first treatment choice. What about the marked improvements seen in some autistic children following a wheat-free/dairy-free diet (e.g., Celebrity Jenny McCarthy's son, Evan)? But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) won't recommend this diet due to a lack of evidence to support or refute it. Yet the AAP approves off-label use of medications for autistic children.

Julie calls for more National Institutes of Health funding to deepen the pediatric evidence for prescription drugs and alternative treatments alike.