That's Fit

A recent study was attempting to determine a possible link between high levels of the brain chemical serotonin and aggression/anger. Instead, researchers stumbled upon an unexpected discovery.

In the study, mice were genetically engineered to overproduce serotonin. Most of the mice died at an early age because they were unable to regulate their body temperature and heart rate. The finding led researchers to believe that an overproduction of serotonin could be responsible for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS, otherwise known as crib death, is one of the most common causes of death in children between the ages of 1 and 12 months old.

The studies findings support previous research which linked SIDS to abnormal production of serotonin.

If you have a child with asthma, you might already know that fitness is especially important -- it can help improve childhood asthma. And with summer approaching, you might be thinking about swimming. It's a great physical activity, and kids love it, so you're set, right?

Not so fast. A recent article by Claire McCarthy, M.D., of Harvard Medical School urges parents to take caution with their asthmatic children when it comes to swimming. While the activity itself helps to strengthen their lungs -- and swimming is one form of fitness that's less likely to cause asthma symptoms -- there is one problem. The chlorine.

The article cites a study done in Belgium, where "children who swam as infants in chlorinated swimming pools were more likely to have asthma later in childhood. It appeared that the chlorine may have damaged the lining of the lungs."

When we think about the biological clock ticking away, we pretty much immediately think of women. After all, age only matters for the mom -- the father can be as old as he wants and it doesn't make a difference, right?

According to a recent Danish study of over 100,000 children, not exactly. Children in the study who were fathered by men over 45 were much less likely to reach their nineteenth birthday than were the children of men in their late 20s.

The older men's children were especially likely to die from birth defects like heart problems. Another common cause of death was as a result of suicide, accidents, or fights, which could be explained by their higher rates of autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

Water is good for everyone, right? Not quite. Doctors at John Hopkins Children Center are spreading the word that for babies under six months, water can be dangerous. That's because these tiniest kiddos have a strong instinct to drink. They can take in too much water, which leads to water intoxication. This affects sodium levels in the body, which can lead to mental changes, puffiness, low body temperature, and seizures.

With summer's heat on its way, it may be tempting to give your young infant water. But experts urge parents to stick with breastmilk or formula instead. Older babies can have small amounts of water, but doctors still say to stick to one to two ounces at a time and to check with your doctor first.

For tips on how to keep your baby cool this summer, check out the gallery below.

Good role modeling never goes out of style. It may even be the exact reason why people gobble down Goldfish crackers -- or animal crackers.

In one study, cited in June's The Oprah Magazine, college students who watched a video of a colleague talking while eating Goldfish crackers chose Goldfish over animal crackers 71 percent of the time. Those watching someone eat animal crackers went for Goldfish only 44 percent of the time, despite a reported overall preference for Goldfish.

This Monkey See, Monkey Do phenomenon holds true for babies too.
Chow down on fruits and veggies while your baby is in the womb and while you're breastfeeding and your little one will be more likely to consume these items when offered them, say researchers mentioned in the May issue of Woman's Day magazine.

The lesson here: Think before you eat, because people, even babies, are likely to mimic your actions. And be careful about whose eating habits you watch, because you're likely to pick up the very snacks you see.

For some strategies and tips for healthy eating, check out AOL's America Takes It Off series.

According to a recent study, babies who were breastfed exclusively for at least the first three months of life scored higher on IQ tests at age six than children who weren't breastfed exclusively. Previous research has shown that breastfed babies had enhanced thinking, learning, and memory abilities.

Researchers aren't exactly sure what the link between breastfeeding and IQ is. It could be a nutrient in breast milk -- perhaps the amino acids or cholesterol that's found in breast milk but not in formula. Or it could be the attachment-inducing act of breastfeeding.

The researchers of this study recommend breastfeeding exclusively for at least three months, though six months to one year may have added benefits.

This has been a Gwyneth Paltrow-heavy week. First of all, the mother of two spoke up about her battle with post-partum depression after the birth of her second child, son Moses. She said, "I felt really out of my body ... really down ... really pessimistic." She thinks part of the problem was that she stopped taking time for herself and neglected her usual wellness treatments, such as acupuncture and massage.

And, as long as we're talking about Gwynnie and gawking, there's no WAY I'm going to leave out the wardrobe she's been sporting while stumping for her new flick, Iron Man. First of all, there have been shoes -- shoes with heels of half a foot or so. And then the dresses! Gwyneth has been rocking the shortest minidresses imaginable, mostly with great success. She certainly has the body to pull it off, although I'm firmly of the opinion that nobody should wear a skirt so short that there's serious risk of a panty-flash, no matter how fab the legs are.

In other Gwyneth news, her trainer (who she says Madonna stole) gave USWeekly a diet and exercise program designed to allow participants to lose three to five pounds a week. It doesn't look too healthy to me, so I think I'll stick with a more moderate plan and be happy to drop just a pound or two weekly.

The title of this post sounds like the title of made-for-TV movie. But it's fact. A baby boy was mistakenly sent home with the wrong family. The mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in southern Illinois. Upon realizing the error, hospital workers immediately contacted the families. Though they were not required to do so, the hospital reported the incident to state authorities.

I don't know how, in today's day and age, an error like this could occur. When people I know have given birth recently there are alarms on the maternity ward, infants and their parents wear matching bracelets, and photo IDs are taken of the children. In addition, unless there are medical issues, infants usually stay with their parents more now than in the past. At the time of writing, Heartland Regional Medical Center's web site isn't responding, so I'm not sure what their internal policies are.

Alright, guys, stay with me on this one ...

If you father one child, you raise your risk of developing prostate cancer over men who don't have any kids. Paradoxically, if you father more than one child, you reduce your risk of developing the disease. And, if your child turns out to be a girl, your risk of prostate cancer again rises somewhat. These somewhat convoluted findings come from a study published in the January 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer.

A study of 3,400 men helped Danish researchers arrive at these findings. While they were not able to find any environmental factors that may be causing this risk fluctuation, more investigation into the child number/gender theory still needs to be done before it can be considered conclusive.

You might think strapping a tight seat belt over a growing pregnant belly can harm an unborn baby. But not buckling up is what harms fetuses, says a newly-released University of Michigan study concluding that pregnant women who wear seat belts significantly reduce the risk that their babies will die or be seriously hurt in a vehicle crash.

Study findings, published on Wednesday, reveal that the lives of 200 of the roughly 370 fetuses killed each year in U.S. vehicle crashes would be spared if all pregnant women wore seat belts.

"Seat belts absolutely protect the fetus -- and not wearing a belt is a big problem," says study lead Dr. Mark Pearlman. "Every single time they get in a motor vehicle, pregnant women should wear their seat belts without question -- every single time."

It's simple: Seat belts protect moms. And they protect babies, says Pearlman who offers these tips for proper pregnant buckling.

• The lap strap should be placed under the belly as much as possible, across the hips.
  
  

• The shoulder strap should be placed between the breasts, to the side of the belly.
  
  

• Seat belt straps should not go directly across the stomach but should be below the belly button as low they can comfortably go.
  
  

• The seat belt should be snug, not loose.
  
  

Pearlman's study also showed no evidence that air bags are harmful to fetuses. He therefore does not recommend disabling them.

Japanese researchers have determined that the softening of the skull bones in newborns to due to a vitamin D deficiency in the womb. Otherwise referred to as craniotabes, the softening of the skull bones is largely considered a normal condition in newborns, particularly in premature births. It occurs in roughly 1/3 of all newborns. The researchers of the current study suggest that it shouldn't be treated so lightly, however. They point to evidence that craniotabes can be associated with type 1 diabetes, reduced bone mass, and lowered immunity.

Vitamin D production is stimulated by sunlight; the recent research uncovered that the majority of the newborns with craniotabes were born in April and May. The lowest number were born in November. Researchers surmise that the mother's exposure to sunlight approximately 4 months prior to delivery influences the condition. High incidence of craniotabes was also present in breast-fed infants.

Researchers suggest that infants with craniotabes be treated with vitamin D and that pregnant women should be sure to get healthy amounts of vitamin D. If you're pregnant, don't take any supplements without your physician's advice. But there are plenty of natural sources of vitamin D. Go for a walk during peak sunlight hours and drink milk or orange juice that's fortified with vitamin D. Also many types of fish are rich in vitamin D (but be careful of mercury which can be harmful during pregnancy) and some cereals are fortified with vitamin D.

No, that's not the latest title to a pop song. It's just a fact. Researchers at the University of Oxford in England have discovered that merely looking at a baby's face triggers a part of our brain associated with rewards. So basically, one look and we're happy. Study participants didn't have the same reaction when they looked at other adults. Something about babies causes adult to respond positively with nurturing, caring thoughts.

The results of this study may hold clues to postpartum depression. It's possible that chemical changes during pregnancy or labor and delivery could alter the brain's ability to respond in its instinctive way.

Child-rearing is a sticky subject: one that will drive people to shout, scream and preach about the right and wrong ways to do it. I don't believe anyone has the perfect answer. But that doesn't stop people from debating it! Articles like this pose a big question for parenting. Is it effective to let a child "cry it out" for a better night sleep? Or should parents be co-sleeping with their babies?

One method points to something called "ferberizing." Many people may consider this tough love, but Dr. Ferber begs to differ. He states that leaving a baby to cry by itself is not recommended by his system. Instead, he suggests using his time chart for crying only when all other possible solutions have been exhausted. In other words, "ferberizing" should be used to try and fix severe sleeping problems with a baby.

Other people don't identify with his methods. Instead, they co-sleep with their child. Call it attachment parenting if you will, but this basically is the opposite of Ferber's system. Parents and baby share a bed, but they say parents need to have a clearly defined end for this stage. Controversies aside, this seems like an argument that can't be solved using one definite practice over another. As any parent will tell you, every child is different and should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Canadian researchers have found that babies who are considered "difficult" or anxious at 5 months or later could develop nightmares during preschool. Their characteristics at infancy were good indicators about whether or not they could have consistently bad dreams as preschoolers.

Psychiatrists explain how they predicted children to have these consistent nightmares based on this data. Bad dreams were then shown to occur as early as two and a half years old. Researchers say if parents comfort them after it could lower the chances of recurring nightmares later.

Are there any parents out there who can attest to this study? All children have nightmares at one point or another. This seems like a valid connection between infant temperament and preschool sleeping patterns. But parents know their kids better than men in lab coats, so maybe this provides a little insight if anything.

Globalization has been taking the world by storm with jobs going overseas and import/export markets booming. It's a hot topic that can sometimes spark a debate. Well add one more applicable job for the female workforce in India: commercial surrogacy. Imagine a clinic where dozens of women carry babies for people all over the place, including the United States.

These surrogate mothers eat, sleep and live together. Since 2002, this type of commercialization has been legal in India, but the government doesn't even regulate the practice. Some critics are saying this undermines the health of needy women looking to make money to support their families. After all, to be considered for the job, the women must have at least one child already.

When clients end up paying only $10,000 or less for this whole process, it becomes clear that outsourcing birth is just as competitive as any other industry. But the surrogate mothers are providing a global service for couples aspiring to build a family of their own. This comparably high compensation also provides well for their own families. Some women are making more than what others could make in 15 years! Would you consider being a commercial surrogate mother? How about contracting one?