Vitamin D, which is primarily made in the skin following sun exposure, plays a role in protection against childhood asthma. Now, a new study led by Valencian researchers has shown that children who live in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight [...]

A link between low vitamin D levels and anemia in children has been discovered by pediatricians from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The findings, presented on May 1, 2011 at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Denver, show that vitamin D deficiency may play an important role in anemia. Anemia, which occurs when [...]

Rochester.edu – A mother’s iron deficiency early in pregnancy may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the brain development of the child, even if the lack of iron is not enough to cause severe anemia, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the scientific journal PLoS One. The results are [...]

Columbia.edu – When the EPA phased out the widespread residential use of chlorpyrifos and other organophosphorus (OP) insecticides in 2000-2001 because of risks to child neurodevelopment, these compounds were largely replaced with pyrethroid insecticides. But the safety of these replacement insecticides remained unclear, as they had never been evaluated for long-term neurotoxic effects after low-level [...]

UTHSCSA.edu – Eating less during early pregnancy impaired fetal brain development in a nonhuman primate model, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio have reported. Their study shows that the developing baby brain is vulnerable to moderate decreases in maternal nutrition – the kind of decrease that might be expected during [...]

Expectant mothers who smoke heavily while pregnant run the risk of having kids who grow up to become repeat criminal offenders, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The findings held true, even after taking account of a comprehensive range of family and social factors, such as mental ill health [...]