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Kids Newsletter
September 24, 2012
In this Issue
• Obese Kids May Have Dulled Taste Buds
• Untreated Food Allergies More Likely in Poor, Minority Kids
• Aerobic Exercise Cuts Kids' Diabetes Risk: Study
• 'Sexting' May Go Hand-in-Hand With Unprotected Sex Among Teens



Obese Kids May Have Dulled Taste Buds

Lack of sensitivity may lead to eating more, researchers say

THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children have less sensitive taste buds than normal-weight children, according to a new study.

This diminished ability to distinguish all five types of taste -- bitter, sweet, salty, sour and savory -- may lead them to eat larger amounts of food in order to get the same taste sensation as normal-weight children, the German researchers suggested.

The study, published online Sept. 20 in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, included 99 obese and 94 normal-weight children, aged 6 to 18 years. All were in good health and not taking any medications that affect taste and smell. The children's taste sensitivity was tested by placing 22 taste strips on the tongue. The strips included each of the five types of taste at four levels of intensity, plus two blank strips.

Overall, children were best able to identify sweet and salty tastes. They found it hardest to distinguish between salty and sour, and between salty and savory. Girls and older children were better at identifying tastes.

Obese children had a significantly more difficult time identifying the different tastes and taste intensity than normal-weight children, Dr. Susanna Wiegand, of the department of pediatric endocrinology and diabetology at the Charite University of Medicine in Berlin, said in a journal news release.

Genes, hormones and exposure to different tastes early in life are believed to play a role in why people have different taste perceptions. Previous research suggests that people with heightened taste sensitivity may eat less food because they don't require as much to get the same taste sensation.

Although the study showed an association between obesity and diminished sensitivity in taste buds, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders has more about taste and taste disorders.




Untreated Food Allergies More Likely in Poor, Minority Kids

Some symptoms aren't as obvious as hives, puffy eyes or rash, researchers say

FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- It is vital that food allergies be recognized, diagnosed and treated, but some children are falling through the cracks, according to a new study.

Clinicians must teach parents and caregivers to recognize non-visual symptoms of severe allergic reactions, and children should receive allergy testing so their condition can be managed properly, the researchers said.

"Every child with a food allergy should be diagnosed by a physician, have access to life-saving medication such as an epinephrine autoinjector and receive confirmation of the disease through diagnostic testing," study lead author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in a university news release. "Not all children are receiving this kind of care."

The researchers conducted an online survey of U.S. households with children who had symptoms of mild to severe food allergies.

The survey found 70 percent of the children received a physician's diagnosis for their food allergy. However, 32 percent of these kids did not receive diagnostic testing, such as a blood, skin or oral food challenge test.

Minority children and kids from low-income families were more likely to have untreated food allergies, the study found.

Of the children who received diagnostic testing, 46 percent had a skin test and 39 percent had a blood test. Just one in five of those surveyed reported that their child received an oral food challenge test, which is considered the gold standard for diagnosing food allergy.

"An oral food challenge might be scary for parents because their child is being fed the allergenic food," said Gupta, who also is a physician at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "Some physicians think the risks outweigh the benefits, but it is the best tool we have to diagnose a food allergy."

In the survey, 80 percent of anaphylactic reactions to common triggers such as eggs, finfish, milk, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat led to hives, puffy eyes or lips, and eczema. During severe reactions, 40 percent of cases involved hives and 34 percent involved puffy eyes and lips.

Some children with food allergies, however, will not develop obvious or visual symptoms, the researchers pointed out.

"Not all food allergy reactions start with swelling or a rash," Gupta said. "If you suspect your child has eaten something they're allergic to and you don't see a visible sign of a reaction, you need to think about what might be going on internally."

Children who may be having an allergic reaction to food should be asked if they are experiencing tightness in their throat, trouble breathing or stomach pain, the authors advised. Children having an allergic reaction also may feel dizzy or faint.

"This study shows why it's vital that children receive an accurate diagnosis, and that parents and other caregivers know the signs of a severe reaction and are equipped to respond immediately," Mary Jane Marchisotto, executive director of the Food Allergy Initiative, which provided financial support for the study, said in the news release.

The study was published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

Families can visit the Food Allergy Initiative to learn more about food allergies  External Links Disclaimer Logo.




Aerobic Exercise Cuts Kids' Diabetes Risk: Study

Just 20 minutes a day improved insulin resistance of overweight children

TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Getting plenty of aerobic exercise can help overweight children reduce their risk of diabetes, according to a new study.

One-third of U.S. elementary school-aged youngsters are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is associated with a range of health problems formerly thought to occur only in adults, including type 2 diabetes, according to background information in the study.

Researchers assessed how different amounts of aerobic exercise affected diabetes risk factors, such as insulin resistance, levels of overall body fat and abdominal fat in more than 200 inactive overweight or obese U.S. children. The children had an average age of 9.4 years old.

Some of the children were randomly assigned to low (20 minutes a day) or high (40 minutes a day) amounts of aerobic training five days a week for an average of 13 weeks. They were compared to a control group of children who did their normal physical activity.

The study was published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on obesity published to coincide with an Obesity Society meeting.

Children who did low and high amounts of aerobic exercise had greater reductions in insulin resistance than those in the control group, along with greater decreases in overall body fat and abdominal fat, said Catherine Davis, of the Medical College of Georgia, and colleagues, in a journal news release.

The exercise-related reductions in diabetes risk factors occurred in both boys girls, and in children of different races.

More information

The U.S. National Diabetes Education Program outlines how to prevent type 2 diabetes in children.




'Sexting' May Go Hand-in-Hand With Unprotected Sex Among Teens

Study found association with other forms of sexual risk-taking among high school students

MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Teens who "sext" sexually explicit texts or images are probably taking other sexual risks as well, with new research indicating these adolescents are seven times more likely to be sexually active and significantly more apt to be having unprotected sex.

Analyzing self-reported behaviors of more than 1,800 Los Angeles students aged 12 to 18 (most were between 14 and 17), researchers found that 15 percent with cell phones acknowledged sexting and 54 percent knew someone who had sent a sext. Rarely was sexting the only sexually risky behavior involved.

"It's surprising in some ways that sexting isn't an alternative to risky sexual behaviors, it's part of the [same] landscape," said study author Eric Rice, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. "I don't want to be alarmist, but I do think that parents who suspect their kids are sexting should be aware of the probability their kids are involved in other sexual behavior as well. They probably should worry insofar as it's likely their teens are sexually active and not using birth control."

The study is published online Sept. 17 and in the October print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Previous studies on sexting indicated similar rates of participation among teenagers, but the new research is purportedly the first to examine any association between sexting and sexual activity.

Participants were mostly Latino/Hispanic, 87 percent identified as straight and nearly three-quarters reported owning a cell phone and using it every day.

Youths whose friends sexted were 17 times more likely to sext themselves -- viewing it as a "normal" behavior -- and non-heterosexual students were more than twice as likely to report sexting than their heterosexual peers.

"The students we talk to said texting has been associated with an existing romantic relationship or interest, so I think it makes sense that these kinds of behaviors are happening, for the most part, within an existing relationship and not something out of the blue," said Justin Patchin, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He was not involved in the study.

Patchin and Rice agreed the findings are an opportunity for parents to broach the subject with children and discuss the consequences. If they find out their own kids are sexting, they may want to measure the individual circumstances before deciding how to react, said Patchin, also an associate professor of criminal justice.

"It's one thing if it's your 17-year-old who's been in a committed relationship with a person for a long time . . . vs. a 13-year-old sending inappropriate pictures to a person they're interested and who they've never had a relationship with," he said.

"I certainly don't want to condone sexting among any teenager, but we need to understand the continuum of relationships and behaviors," Patchin added. "The main thing is that parents need to educate kids and talk about consequences -- [such as] that they can never be sure someone else won't see those images or texts."

Shari Kessel Schneider, a senior research associate at the Education Development Center in Newton, Mass., said the findings also highlight a need for physicians and educators to "be aware that youth who are sexting may need additional education and guidance related to adolescent sexuality and safe and responsible Internet use."

"While some have suggested that sexting may be a safe alternative to sexual behavior, it is not surprising that these online behaviors are entangled in teens' face-to-face interactions," said Schneider, who led a study on sexting and depression among Boston-area youth. "If a parent finds out their child is sexting, it's an important opportunity to engage their son or daughter in a discussion of what constitutes a healthy relationship and how youth can stay safe both emotionally and physically."

The study revealed an association between teen sexting and other sexual behaviors. It did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has information about sexting.

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