Father’s diet could affect the long-term health of his offspring

New research has shown that a lack of protein in a father’s diet affects sperm quality which can have a direct impact on the long-term health of their offspring. The study—’Paternal diet programs offspring health through sperm- and seminal plasma-specific pathways in mice’—carried out at the University of Nottingham fed male mice a poor quality diet which resulted in their […]

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Science Says: How family separation may affect kids’ brains

Doctors have long known that separating families and other traumatic events can damage children’s well-being. More recent research has shed some light on how that may happen: Severe early adversity may cause brain changes and “toxic stress,” resulting in lasting psychological and physical health problems. A “zero-tolerance” immigration policy announced this spring by the Trump Administration has separated 2,300 children […]

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Both quantity and quality of sleep affect cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents

A study from a research team led by a MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) physician finds that both the quantity and quality of sleep—the amount of time spent sleeping and the percentage of sleep that is undisturbed—in young adolescents have significant effects on aspects of cardiovascular health such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and abdominal fat deposition. Their report has […]

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Multiple anesthesia exposures affect learning and attention

(HealthDay)—Children with multiple exposures to anesthesia before age 3 are more likely to develop adverse outcomes related to learning and attention, according to a recent study published in Anesthesiology. Danqing Hu, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues retrospectively identified a cohort of children born between 1996 and 2000. Propensity matching selected children based on exposure or […]

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Painkillers in pregnancy may affect baby’s future fertility

Taking painkillers during pregnancy could affect the fertility of the unborn child in later life, research suggests. The study identifies that these drugs may also affect the fertility of future generations, by leaving marks on DNA. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that certain medicines, including paracetamol, should be used with caution during pregnancy. Researchers stress that […]

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