Teens Are Probably Drinking Too Much Caffeine

The Atlantic – Sara Talpos and Undark

Earlier this year, a half-dozen students from City Hill Middle School, in Naugatuck, Connecticut, traveled with their science teacher, Katrina Spina, to the state capital to testify in support of a bill that would ban sales of energy drinks to children under the age of 16. Having devoted three months to a chemistry unit studying the ingredients in and potential health impacts of common energy drinks—with brand names like Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Rockstar—the students came to a sobering conclusion: “Energy drinks can be fatal to everyone, but especially to adolescents,” a seventh-grader, Luke Deitelbaum, told state legislators. “Even though this is true, most energy-drink companies continue to market these drinks specifically toward teens.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/scientists-say-energy-drinks-ads-shouldnt-target-teens/592657/

15 Reasons To Put Your Child In Gymnastics

Flo Gymnastics – Miranda Martin

Parents often enroll their children in gymnastics hoping they will be the next Olympic gymnastics star…and maybe they will! But more likely than not, their time in the sport won’t be on such a worldwide stage. However, that doesn’t mean that if your child never wins a gold medal there is nothing to be gained from participating in the sport. 

https://www.flogymnastics.com/articles/6520732-15-reasons-to-put-your-child-in-gymnastics

How To (Responsibly) Talk To Girls About Losing or Gaining Weight

Fatherly – Lauren Vinopal

Dads may think they’re helping their daughters avoid social judgment or obesity by making them weight conscious. But commenting on the weight, exercise habits, and the diet of young girls can have serious, long-term side effects. Experts are reaching a consensus that while parents — and fathers in particular — should take an active role in helping kids make good nutrition and exercise choices, becoming a source of body-shame will only exacerbate and create problems.

https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/dads-should-not-talk-to-daughters-about-weight-diet-size/

New study finds benefits of exercise on the heart in preschoolers

The Austin American Standard – Nicole Villalpando

Parents of young kids, the amount of exercise your kids do matters for their heart health. That’s what a study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ June issue of “Pediatrics” found when it assessed 418 kids ages 3 to 5 for three years. The kids that had more exercise had improved heart-rate recovery after exercise and had a slower rate of hardening of the arteries than their peers who did not. Each child wore an activity monitor around their waist for a year and then were tested on their endurance levels and heart rates.

https://www.statesman.com/entertainmentlife/20190628/new-study-finds-benefits-of-exercise-on-heart-in-preschoolers