14 Reasons Babies' and Children's Brains Need iron.

Iron status should be measured during pregnancy, infancy and childhood because iron is needed for brain health, brain function and brain development in children. Iron rich foods include beef or chicken liver, scallops, oysters, beef, sardines, chicken, turkey, halibut, haddock, salmon, tuna, pork, veal, fortified cereals, beans, tofu, pumpkin sesame or squash seeds, apricots, wheat germ, broccoli and spinach. Here are the reasons to pay attention to iron status in kids.

Iron is necessary for brain development. Study

Iron is necessary for normal brain function. Study

Hippocampal structure requires iron. Study

Iron is needed for myelination and memory function. Study

Low iron and ferritin levels are associated with ADHD, the severity of ADHD symptoms and cognitive deficit. Study 1 Study 2

Low iron levels in the brain alter dopamine function, involved in movement, cognitive function and attention. Study

Treatment with iron supplements may improve ADHD in children with low ferritin levels. Study Study

Iron deficiency is linked to autism. Study Study

Iron deficiency is linked to autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Study

The risk for autism spectrum disorder increases with low maternal iron. Study

Children who have iron-deficiency anemia in infancy are at risk for long-lasting developmental disadvantage. Study

Children who had severe, chronic iron deficiency in infancy scored lower on measures of mental and motor functioning at age 10 Study

There is an association between psychiatric disorders and iron deficiency anemia among children and adolescents. Study

Children with iron deficiency had greater than twice the risk of scoring below average in math than did children with normal iron status. Study

Tylenol use during pregnancy is linked to ADHD and behavior problems.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that Tylenol (acetaminophen) taken by women during their pregnancy may raise the risk of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and similar disorders in their children up to 40%—and the risk is higher as use increases. The more acetaminophen the mother takes, the higher the risk in her child.

The study’s authors say it is plausible that the drug may interrupt fetal brain development by interfering with maternal hormones or through neurotoxicity. 

This isn’t the first study to note the connection between a mother’s Tylenol use and her child’s reaction to the toxic drug. Last year a troubling study showed that women taking acetaminophen during pregnancy increased the risk of their children having serious behavior problems at age 3 by an overwhelming 70%.

It is simply not worth the risk, to use acetaminophen. Every year, 78,000 people go to the emergency room from intentional or accidental acetaminophen overdose; 33,000 are hospitalized, and about 450 die.
  

Think yourself happy!

Is becoming happier as easy as trying to become happier? The latest research by two US academics suggests it might be. 

Writing in The Journal of Positive Psychology, Yuna L. Ferguson and Kennon M. Sheldon present the results of their recent experiments into ‘trying to become happier’.

In the first study, two sets of participants listened to ‘happy’ music. Those who actively tried to feel happier reported the highest level of positive mood afterwards. In the second study, participants listened to a range of ‘positive’ music over a two-week period; those who were instructed to focus on improving their happiness experienced a greater increase in happiness than those who were told just to focus on the music.

What seems to have made one group so much happier than the other in their respective studies was a combination of actively trying to become happier and using the right methods – in this case, listening to happy music.

Ferguson and Sheldon’s important findings challenge earlier studies suggesting that actually trying to become happier was, in fact, counterproductive. “[Our] results suggest that without trying, individuals may not experience higher positive changes in their well-being,” they write. “Thus, practitioners and individuals interested in happiness interventions might consider the motivational mindset as an important facet of improving well-being.”

And that’s definitely something worth thinking about. View the study abstract or download the full study here.

More trans fat intake linked to aggression and irritability.

Yet another reason to avoid fast foods. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown – by each of a range of measures, in men and women of all ages, in Caucasians and minorities – that consumption of dietary trans fatty acids (dTFAs) is associated with irritability and aggression.

The study of nearly 1,000 men and women provides the first evidence linking dTFAs with adverse behaviors that impacted others, ranging from impatience to overt aggression.

Dietary trans fatty acids are primarily products of hydrogenation, which makes unsaturated oils solid at room temperature. They are present at high levels in margarines, shortenings and prepared foods. Adverse health effects of dTFAs have been identified in lipid levels, metabolic function, insulin resistance, oxidation, inflammation, and cardiac health.

Greater trans fatty acid intakes were significantly associated with greater aggression, and were more consistently predictive of aggression and irritability, across the measures tested, than the other known aggression predictors that were assessed. If the association between trans fats and aggressive behavior proves to be causal, this adds further rationale to recommendations to avoid eating trans fats, or including them in foods provided at institutions like schools and prisons, since the detrimental effects of trans fats may extend beyond the person who consumes them to affect others in that persons environment.