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Baby Brain Boosters

May 25, 2017 | 11:48 AM

Babies. Just the word can make you smile. And that baby smell (the other one) — it’s more relaxing than a visit to the Dalai Lama. But what goes on inside those little, developing brains can be puzzling.

 Luckily, we know from brain scans and observational studies just how much, right from the start, infants are tuned in and reacting to the events and people around them. And we know what provides the “nutrients” a young’un needs to develop his or her full intellectual and emotional potential. The short menu is LARIS + L: love, attention, responsiveness, interaction, stimulation and then more love. If you, Mom and Dad, provide those “nutrients,” it makes all the difference.

Frequent, affectionate interaction, with touch, eye contact, lots and lots of words and songs, is essential. Children learn social behaviors, language, facts and ideas from love and human interaction. Studies show that they DO NOT learn as well from TVs, digital games or electronic programs — even if those are delivering information specifically designed for infants and children.

One notable study 20 years ago found that children who are spoken to a lot from the get-go — with complex sentences, explanations of what’s around them and interactive questions — even before they seem to “understand,” end up with higher IQs at age 3 and better school performance at age 9. And subsequent research reinforces that it’s hearing words from another person — not a TV, video or audio tape — that offers learning opportunities and the intellectual stimulation needed to thrive.

In fact, a new study presented this month at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting looked at 894 children ages 6 months to 2 years and found that 20 percent of them were spending at least 28 minutes a day playing with a handheld digital device. And for every 30-minute increase in handheld screen time, the kids had a 49 percent increased risk of expressive speech delay! So put your cellphone in your pocket or bag, not your kid’s hands! Then talk to your child as you wheel him or her in a stroller or ride in the car. Point out your surroundings. Interact.

More Brain Boosters
Other essentials for nurturing your infant’s brain development include good nutrition and a routine of sufficient sleep.

As your child switches from breast milk (exclusive during the first 6 months, then complemented with solids up to 12-24 months) or formula to solid foods, you want to make sure he or she gets a full range of nutrients essential for cognitive development. Nutrients (especially choline, folic acid, zinc, iron and special fats like omega-3 DHA) actually can modify gene structure and expression, effecting brain growth and development. To make sure your infant and toddler gets those building blocks, a varied diet rich in vegetables, healthy oils such as extra-virgin olive oil, fiber from grains and cereals, and proteins from antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and salmon will do the trick.

A calm routine of sufficient sleep also allows the brain to develop as it should. Newborns sleep about 10.5 to 18 hours a day, with irregular wake times lasting one to three hours.

Up to 12 months, babies need nine to 12 hours at night. They also take 30 minute to two-hour naps up to four times daily. Toddlers need about 11 to 14 hours of sleep every 24 hours, with decreasing naptimes. When kids are deprived of necessary sleep, some studies indicate that it stunts neurodevelopment, is linked to hyperactivity and reduces school performance.

So envelop your child with affectionate words and touch; talk, sing, play soothing music; and read to your child, even as a young infant. Eliminate digital devices from cribs, strollers and little hands! Make sure to provide sufficient nutrition and establish a healthy sleep routine. These steps not only provide a secure emotional base, but help brain development at every stage and age during your child’s formative first years.

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Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com  (c) 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.  Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

ne more time, we’re weighing in on the goodness of maintaining a healthy weight. And we have some intriguing new insights into weighty matters — and innovative solutions to help you effectively achieve your best weight and stroll the planet for a few more years.

So What Is a Healthy Weight? Every person’s healthy weight depends on age, height, amount of body fat versus muscle, and specific health challenges. But in general you’re carrying excess weight if your waist circumference is over 40 inches for a guy and 35 inches for a gal and/or if your body mass index is above 25. A BMI above 30 puts you at substantial risk for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease; and above 40 means you’re morbidly obese. (See BMI charts at www.myclevelandclinic.org.)

What Are the Newly Discovered Consequences of Overweight and Obesity?
The latest revelations come from a joint Cleveland Clinic-New York University School of Medicine study. Presenting their work at the recent 2017 Society of General Internal Medicine annual meeting, the researchers revealed the dangers of overtipping the scales; you lose up to 47 percent more life years from obesity than from tobacco or high blood pressure — and you know how notorious those two are for their life-shortening powers (each makes your RealAge four years older)!

The top five life-shortening conditions came in as obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And many of YOU have two, three or more of those risk factors!

Obesity also affects cognition, according to a study in Diabetologia. The researchers used MRI scans to evaluate the thickness of the cerebral cortex and gave participants tests for memory, psychomotor speed and executive function.

The results? Overweight folks with Type 2 diabetes had gray matter that was significantly thinner in the parts of the brain where visual info is processed (occipital lobe), where intelligence and personality are synthesized (prefrontoparietal cortex) and where planning, control and execution of voluntary movements happens (motor cortex).

How Parental Obesity Affects Kids:
New research on mice presented at the Experimental Biology 2017 meeting showed that if Mom is obese, then male offspring end up with an increased risk for fatty liver and female offspring end up with less gut biome diversity — a known risk for obesity. Researchers alsofound that if Dad eats a high-fat diet before conception, offspring are more likely to become insulin resistant and gain excess weight.

How Obesity Affects Children:

The dangers of overweight are not confined to adults. There are almost 13 million OBESE CHILDREN in the U.S. According to a study in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, those kids have quadruple the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by age 25 compared with kids with a healthy BMI!

Solutions?

You’ve heard this before: “Avoid the Five Food Felons!” “Walk 10,000 steps a day!” They work, really well, but sometimes you need to try a new approach. Here are three additional ways to boost weight loss that are healthy and wise:
1. Cut down on methionine-containing foods for a few weeks. The greatest quantity of this essential amino acid is found in pork, beef, eggs and dairy (many of which we advise you to cut out anyway). You need methionine (in dark leafy greens and veggies), but reducing the intake (not of greens) might help reduce body fat and stabilize blood sugar. That’s what researchers found when they put mice on a methionine-controlled diet.
2. Take a probiotic daily: An imbalance in the gut biome may be the root cause of weight gain for many people. We recommend two brands that survive stomach acid and deliver the goods to your guts: Culturelle and Digestive Advantage.

3. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing are stress-reducing techniques that can lower elevated levels of the stress-hormone cortisol. That can transform your body (less inflammation, healthier cardio, better regulation of appetitecontrolling
hormones) and your weight.

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Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com. © 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc

This column is sponsored by your local choice for healthy lifestyle products -Nutter’s Bulk and Natural Foods
365 36th St. W, Prince Albert, SK
Phone: (306) 922-3835
http://panow.com/column/nutters-bulk-and-natural-foods