Your Child Shouldn't Be Drinking This Yet!

Hi and welcome to this week’s look at headlines in natural health news on iHealthTube.com…

You’ve probably heard more and more people talking about fruit juice and whether or not it’s good for you.

Now the nation’s top pediatricians are finally advising against giving fruit juices to kids until they are at least one year old.  The concern is that these juices offer no nutritional benefits and often take the place of what the babies really need, like breast milk, protein and fats.  The American Academy of Pediatricians made the recommendation this week… the first time it’s updated it’s guidelines on fruit juice in 16 years.  Another concern with fruit juices is the sugar content that can often be similar or more than that in a can of soda.

The group is hoping the recommendations will help kids learn to eat whole, fresh fruits where the sugar content is lower and offers fiber… which also increases the feeling of being full.

We all wish we could get more sleep from time to time… but just how important is it?  Well… according to a recent panel of sleep experts… it’s very important and your kid likely isn’t getting enough…

The latest recommendations says teenagers should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep… and children ages 6 to 12 should get between nine and 12 hours… Researchers reviews almost 900 studies on sleep duration and found that sleeping within the recommended hours was linked to improved attention, behavior, learning and mental and physical health… sleeping less is related to hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues.

Some of the things getting in the way of those recommended number of sleep hours are an increase in extracurricular activities, social media and screen time in general.

Finally… more concern about air pollution… and how it can now be linked to kids’ longevity.

A recent study out of California found that children and teens that are exposed to high levels of traffic related pollution show evidence of specific DNA damage that’s associated with aging.  Young people with asthma also have evidence of this damage, which is called telomere shortening.  Telomere’s are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA… kind of like the plastic caps at the end of a shoelace.

A number of studies have shown a strong connection between short telomeres and cellular aging as well as other signs of aging.

That’s a look at what’s making headlines in natural health this week… stay connected by going to ihealthtube.com and with our free email newsletter!