Nutrition for Children and Teenagers : 270 Articles

Eating well and being physically active are keys to a child's well-being. A healthy diet not only supplies all the nutrients that growing children and teens need, it also lays the foundation for future health.  Scan this section for research findings and articles on how certain foods, vitamins, minerals, and physical activity impact a child's health.

Dieting promotes overweight in young girls

Girls who are starting to get too fat at age 5 are often experienced dieters by the age of 9, but they put on extra fat instead of taking it off, say U.S. researchers. This study suggests that…

Women and children should strictly limit certain fish

Children, pregnant women, and women who are planning to become pregnant should strictly limit their intake of fish and avoid some types altogether to avoid potentially harmful levels of…

Many dieting girls short on nutrients

Many adolescent girls try to control their weight in ways that may leave them deficient in calcium, iron and other essential nutrients, a new study of more than 4,100 students at Minnesota…

Many American kids deficient in vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency may be a common but unrecognized problem among U.S. adolescents, new study findings from Boston suggest. Researchers found that among 11- to 18-year-olds living in Boston,…

U.S. doubts supplement weight loss claims for kids

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said last week it had charged the sellers of two dietary supplements with making unsupported claims that their products could help children lose weight.…

Lean teens who eat fast food compensate for big meals

Even though fast food can be loaded with calories, not everyone who eats it gains weight. The trick seems to be to cut back on other food. According to new study findings from the…

Food additives increase hyperactivity in kids

Artificial food colourings and benzoate preservatives increase hyperactive behaviour in preschool children, according to a new report. Despite claims about the detrimental behavioural effects…

Many American school children overweight

An alarming 40% of students from kindergarten through high school were overweight or at risk of becoming too heavy in a study of nearly 300,000 school children in Arkansas, researchers said…

Many parents clueless about children's weight

As many as half of all children in middle school may be overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, according to the results of a new U.S. study. However, the results of a study from the UK…

Unhealthy diet linked to abdominal pain in kids

Children who eat a lot of fast food are more likely than others to experience recurrent abdominal pain severe enough to interfere with school activities, according to data from researchers at…

Blood pressure higher in caffeine-drinking teens

Teens who habitually drink lots of caffeine 1 mainly from soft drinks 1 tend to have higher blood pressure than other teens, researchers from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta report.…

Oats may be safe for kids with celiac disease

According to a new Swedish study, a diet containing moderate amounts of oats may be safe for children with celiac disease, a disorder in which diarrhea and other symptoms occur when certain…

Eliminating soda cuts childhood obesity

Ditching fizzy drinks could help to prevent childhood obesity, researchers from England said last week. They found that just cutting down on carbonated drinks limited children's obesity…

Daughters learn eating habits from mothers

Like the old adage "like mother, like daughter" says, women can pick up many eating habits by watching their mothers in the kitchen. Investigators found that low-income…

Diet plus exercise improve blood vessels in obese kids

The blood vessels of children who are obese show changes that can lead to heart disease later in life. Now, new research from The Chinese University of Hong Kong shows that these changes can…

Nutrition program prevents overweight kids getting heavier

A school-based screening program used in one Japanese city helps keep children's weight problems from getting worse, according to a new report. The program, instituted in Kagoshima City…

Kids who avoid milk risk broken bones

Children who shun milk and don't get enough calcium-rich substitutes may face an increased risk of breaking a bone, according to a new report. In a study of 50 children considered…

Fruits and vegetables may strengthen girls' bones

Although calcium is top of mind when it comes to bone health, fruits and vegetables may also promote stronger bones in girls, new study findings suggest. The study of 56 girls ages 8 to 13…

Soft drinks major cause of teen tooth erosion

Sodas and pop - both the sugary and the diet versions - are the major cause of tooth erosion in British teenagers but many parents are not aware of the problem, researchers said last week.…

Parents' example vital in kid's eating habits

The parents of children who aren't eating the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day may not be setting them a good example, according to new research published last…