U.S.-born kids have more allergies, asthma

Kids and teens who are born abroad and immigrate to the United States are about half as likely to have asthma and allergies as those who are born in the U.S., according to a new study. Researchers surveyed the parents of 80,000 children in one of six languages and found that association held even after they took into account where families lived and how often they moved, as well as their race and income. "This is definitely something we see clinically and we're trying to better understand, what is it in our environment that's increasing the risk of allergic disease?" said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, who studies allergies at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago but wasn't involved in the new research. "Food allergies have increased tremendously," she told Reuters Health. "We do see people who come from other countries don't tend to have it, but immigrants who are maybe second generation, they're identical (to U.S.-born people)." It's not obvious what explains that pattern, researchers said. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_136355.html

Gene Test May Help Predict Success of Weight-Loss Surgery

Weight loss after gastric bypass surgery varies widely, and scientists say they have identified a genetic variation that may help explain the discrepancy. The discovery, detailed in a study published May 2 in the American Journal of Human Genetics, is already driving creation of a gene test that may one day help patients predict how many pounds they might shed after weight-loss surgery. Some patients lose 60 percent of their weight after the surgery, and others just 15 percent. Factors such as age, activity level and whether a patient has other health problems, such as diabetes, help doctors estimate a patient's potential results. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_136467.html

One in five adults meet overall physical activity guidelines

About 20 percent of U.S. adults are meeting both the aerobic and muscle strengthening components of the federal government's physical activity recommendations, according to a report published in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data are based on self-reported information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; an annual phone survey of adults aged 18 and over conducted by state health departments. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging, or a combination of both. The guidelines also recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups, or activities using resistance bands or weights. These activities should involve all major muscle groups and be done on two or more days per week. http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0502-physical-activity.html

How Weight-Loss Surgery Improves Diabetes Control

Gastric bypass -- a widely used weight-loss procedure -- appears to change the hormones and amino acids produced during digestion, which could explain how the surgery eliminates symptoms of type 2 diabetes, according to a small new study. The findings could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes, the researchers said. Untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, amputations and kidney disease. In gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is divided into two sections. Food is then directed to the smaller section, so people feel full after eating less food. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_136381.html

Sneaky sugar: We're eating too much, and we don't even know it

Americans may be heeding warnings to avoid sugary drinks, but many are still consuming way too much “added sugar” in their food, a new government report shows. And most of those sugary foods are being consumed at home rather than at restaurants, said study co-author Bethene Ervin, a nutritional epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current government guidelines suggest that Americans limit total discretionary calories, including added sugars and solid fats, to 5 to 15 percent of food consumed per day. Ervin and her co-author Cynthia Ogden found that added sugars make up approximately 13 percent of the average American adult’s total intake. Ervin and Ogden found that adult consumption of added sugars declined with increasing income. So, while women in the lowest income category were consuming 15.7 percent of their calories as added sugars, those in the highest income category were consuming 11.6 percent of their calories as added sugars. The researchers found a similar trend for men. http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/01/17989684-sneaky-sugar-were-eating-too-much-and-we-dont-even-know-it

The Kids Are Alright: ease the pain of constipation

Constipation can be painful, stressful and embarrassing for kids and it takes a toll on parents, too. If your child is struggling with constipation, they’re not alone. Constipation is the cause for about three to five percent of visits to the pediatrician, but it may affect up to 30 percent of kids. http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442476123

The Kids Are Alright: meal in a peel potato bar