Sept. 26 - Are marathons safe for kids?

Dr Sears’ comment.Parents have misconceptions about marathon running for kids.
With everyone trying to increase physical activity in their children, a big trend these days is to get kids running in marathon races. The Los Angeles Marathon is approaching, and many of the local schools have programs that are training kids for this massive event. Sounds like a great idea: get kids running a few times a week, give them good running shoes and some good coaching. However, many parents are not aware that running a marathon is not safe for growing bones. Even worse is the actual training for such a race. Most pediatric sports medicine specialists agree that marathons should wait until after their eighteenth birthday. Stress fractures in the growth plates of the legs are a common occurrence, which can stunt the child’s growth. Click here for more information.

Sept. 19 - Taking Formula Out of Hospitals Increases Breastfeeding Rates
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have scored a major victory in the campaign to promote breastfeeding. They found that “baby-friendly” hospitals who don’t accept free formula samples from formula companies, and don’t pass on any free formula to new mothers, have 80% of their new moms and babies leaving the hospital exclusively breastfeeding. Sadly, only 45% of moms leave the hospital exclusively breastfeeding when they deliver at a hospital that gives new moms free samples of formula.

This campaign is part of a program called the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative stated by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. In order to receive “baby-friendly” status, a hospital must follow 10 guidelines regarding the support of breastfeeding, including only feeding newborns breast milk, unless a medical indication requires formula, and not giving patients free or low-cost formula. The main idea is that if hospitals fully support breastfeeding, and don’t give parents an “easy out” by giving them free formula, we can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates in the U.S. and the world.

There are currently 50 Baby Friendly Hospitals and Birth Centers in the U.S., and this number is growing year by year. To find out more about this initiative, go to www.babyfriendlyusa.org.

This research is published in the September Journal of Pediatrics.

Sept. 12 – Girls who eat breakfast are slimmer
A large study that appears in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association confirms what most of us have known all along – it’s not healthy to skip breakfast. This study tracked almost 2,400 girls for 10 years, examining their eating habits. The girls that ate any breakfast at all had a lower body mass index than girls that skipped breakfast. The breakfast eaters that had cereal as part of the breakfast had the lowest body mass index scores. The girls who skipped breakfast were much more likely to eat junk food at lunch and dinner.

Dr Sears’ comment. Skipping breakfast actually slows down your metabolism. The best way to start the day is a healthy breakfast rich in protein and complex carbohydrates and some exercise. This will boost your metabolism and your energy levels for the rest of the day. Click here for breakfast ideas. Also, the breakfast skippers in general had less planning and thought go into their daily menu – not a good recipe for health. So, please parents! Let’s all get up a little earlier and have a little breakfast and some activity – my family does!