Being labeled as too fat may lead to become obese

Simply being called ‘fat’ makes young girls more likely to become obese — Trying to be thin is like trying to be tall, say UCLA psychologists – Girls who are told by a parent, sibling, friend, classmate or teacher that they are too fat at age 10 are more likely to be obese at age 19, revealed by UCLA psychologists.

Two more Autism Centers of Excellence funded

New NIH funding for two Autism Centers of Excellence — A total of 11 centers now funded for up to five years – The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.3 million in initial one-year funding to the latest two recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. With these awards, announced on World Autism Awareness Day, these and nine other ACE centers in US are now being funded for up to five years.

Mothers who breastfeed baby is rising – CDC

More mothers are breastfeeding — African American mothers need more support – Percentage of mothers who start and continue breastfeeding is rising, says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2000 to 2008, mothers who started breastfeeding increased more than 4 percentage points. During that same time, the number of mothers still breastfeeding at six months jumped nearly 10 percentage points, from 35 percent in 2000 to nearly 45 percent in 2008.

Nutrition Facts Label helps to make heart healthy choices

The Nutrition Facts Label: Helping Americans Make Heart-Healthy Choices – February is American Heart Month, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a tool to help you achieve a heart-healthy lifestyle. It?s called the Nutrition Facts Label, and it can be found on all packaged foods and beverages.

HIV infected young Americans unaware about HIV status

More than half of young HIV-infected Americans are not aware of their status — Too many young people continue to become infected and few are tested for HIV – Young Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 represent more than a quarter of new HIV infections each year (26 percent) and most of these youth living with HIV (60 percent) are unaware they are infected. The most-affected young people are young gay and bisexual men and African-Americans.

What role genes play in treating TB

Scientists to study the role genes play in treating TB – The University of Liverpool has been awarded funding to determine whether differences in our genes determine how patients respond to drugs used to treat Tuberculosis (TB) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Stroke becoming more common in young people

Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people – Stroke may be affecting people at a younger age, revealed by researchers. “The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol,” said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

Child free women feel intense pressure to have kids

Child-free women feel intense pressure to have kids — but rarely stress over it — New study uncovers effects of social pressure to have children on different groups of US women – Women who choose to be permanently childfree perceive more social pressures to become mothers than other women, but feel less distress about not having kids than women who are childless from infertility or other reasons, a new national study shows.

Temper tantrum an early sign of mental health problem

When to worry about kids’ temper tantrums — Distinguishing between preschoolers’ typical misbehavior and early signs of mental health problems – Temper tantrums in young children can be an early signal of mental health problems, but how does a parent or pediatrician know when disruptive behavior is typical or a sign of a serious problem?

AIDS 2012 Conference Opens in the U.S.

International AIDS Conference Opens in the U.S. for the First Time in 22 Years at Defining Moment in the History of the AIDS Epidemic – Under the theme Turning the Tide Together, more than 23,000 delegates from over 195 countries gathered in Washington, D.C. for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) to begin the march toward the end of the AIDS epidemic.

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