I cultivated my sweet tooth at a young age, born into a family where Hostess Sno Balls and Twinkies were the preferred after-school snack. I could have/should have washed down the crumbly treats with a glass of milk, but chose instead an ice cold Coke—21 teaspoons of sugar, the equivalent of 90 grams or 450 calories. Is it any wonder that my siblings and I struggle with weight gain?

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day (100 calories or 25 grams). For men the recommendation is no more than…

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The day will come when U.S. mothers can truly feel safe breastfeeding their babies and young children anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I likely won’t live long enough to see the culmination of the cultural transformation that is currently underway in America, but I am confident that my children will one day view breastfeeding not as best, optimal, perfect, or ideal, but simply as normal. And I know that ultimately their children, my grandchildren, will reap the benefits.

While many find the slow pace of change frustrating, age confers a level of patience and confidence in knowing that measured, thoughtful change is more often…

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Employed by the Red Cross after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, text messaging contributed to record donations. In less dire circumstances but indicative of the popularity of text messaging, millions text their vote for their favorite American Idol. But what can text messaging do for you?

With text4baby, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) is flipping the text message and using it to help expectant and new moms.

The familiar ping, ding, or ringtone sounds out from your handset:

“Give your baby a good start by not drinking alcohol, smoking or using drugs. For help call 800-784-8669 (smoking); 800-662-4357 (drugs & alcohol).”

“Feeling…

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A toddler stands next to a young mother as she puts a fresh diaper on her newborn baby. “Too bad you had to get a bald-headed one,” says the toddler. And just like that Johnson & Johnson had a hit commercial on its hands and pop culture had another buzz line.

While bald-headed babies are still common today, it is the growing number of flat-headed babies that is causing a stir. Flat heads may indeed be used to describe this generation of babes, but results from a recent study suggest that more than appearances are at stake.

Researchers in Washington State reported…

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Both you and your baby are going to sleep terribly, possibly for months, so you might as well get used to the idea.

But don’t freak out—this is totally normal. All you have to do is make sure everyone lives through this tumultuous time. Pretend there’s a zombie war going on outside and your priority is basic survival. Do whatever it takes to stay alive. Believe that this too shall pass.

For those of you in the midst of intense sleep deprivation, you would probably like to take your computer and throw it at my head right now. No one wants to…

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First Lady Michelle Obama put eliminating childhood obesity at the top of her To Do list with the launch of Let’s Move, her much anticipated anti-obesity campaign. Mrs. Obama is hoping to reverse a dangerous and costly trend. Currently, one out of three U.S. children is overweight or obese. Among black children the rate is even higher, affecting one out of two children. For the first time since 1968, life expectancy is projected to decline.

Several high profile organizations and industries have agreed to join forces with the First Lady. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced that from now on its…

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New York Governor David A. Paterson announced last week that $6.98 million awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will “fund policy, system and environmental changes to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and cut tobacco use in New York.” Only five initiatives are part of the new wellness funding, and one of them is breastfeeding.

Increase physical activity at elementary schools; educate the public about high-calorie foods; decrease tobacco use through advertising and free cessation service—all pretty typical point sources to improve health. But there is one more on the list: “Improve support to new mothers to promote breastfeeding,…

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For the first time seven years ago investigators compared the effectiveness of belt-positioning booster seats (BPBSs) with the use of seat belts alone in children 4-7 years of age. They found that children restrained with only a standard issue seat belt were 59% more likely to be injured in a crash compared to those restrained in a child booster seat.

Fast forward to today. Motor vehicle accidents are still the leading cause of death in children 1 to 14 years of age, accounting for nearly 1400 deaths and 185,000 injuries a year. Fifty-two states have enacted laws that require the use of…

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Although the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) decreased significantly after the launch of the Back to Sleep campaign in 1994, SIDS is still the leading cause of death in children 1 month to 1 year of age. While the cause of SIDS remains a mystery, researchers recently identified a defect in the brain of infants who died of SIDS that may eventually lead to early detection of babies at risk for SIDS.

Published in the February 3, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers compared the brainstems of 41 infants who died of SIDS with 7 infants who died…

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The Surgeon General of the United States has a prescription for making Americans healthy and fit that can be summarized in two words—LOSE WEIGHT.

Whether Dr. Benjamin’s vision of adults eating healthy foods and getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week can become a reality remains to be seen, but no one will dispute the need for change. Currently, 2 out of 3 U.S. adults and 1 out of 3 U.S. children are either overweight or obese. Rates are even higher in certain racial and ethnic groups. Among women 40 to 59 years of age, 52% of…

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Perhaps Andrew Wakefield, MD didn’t realize that his 1998 study erroneously linking vaccinations to autism would ignite a decade long controversy. But he should have. If not for the media frenzy fomented by high profile celebrities, the scientific method might have triumphed long ago. Journalists should know better. Yet given the scope of the damage, any claim of vindication would ring hollow. In the end, science prevailed, but at what cost?

After the United Kingdom General Medical Council (GMC) described the actions of Andrew Wakefield, MD, and two of his colleagues as dishonest and irresponsible, The Lancet, a respected medical journal,…

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The expression, “You are what you eat,” takes on new meaning, given the results of a recent study linking soy formula in babies with uterine fibroids in adults. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors of the uterus that commonly cause pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and fertility problems. Approximately one-fourth of women develop uterine fibroids which are the leading cause of hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).

Method
Twenty thousand white women between 35 and 59 years of age participated in the study. The women were selected from a larger group of 50,000 white women who are part of the Sister Study, a long-term review of…

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