When your mum used to tell you eat your breakfast, she was right!
It is known that fasting increases lead absorption in adults and consequently regular meals and snacks are recommended for children therefore to prevent lead poisoning. New research published in BioMed Centrals open access journal Environmental Health demonstrates that having a regular breakfast is associated with lower blood lead levels in children.
Data from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study compared blood lead levels to social factors, eating patterns and the intake of micronutrients. While there were no noticeable differences in breakfast patterns for age or gender of the child, there were however differences in blood lead levels. The risk of lead poisoning in boys was almost twice that of girls, and four and five year olds had twice the risk of lead poisoning compared with three year olds. Nevertheless, when variables, such as age and the gender of the child were taken into account, children who ate a regular breakfast had 15% lower blood lead levels than those who skipped breakfast.
Breakfast habits were determined by family tendencies with both the parents and grandparents of children who ate breakfast tending to be professionals or more educated. Dr Jianghong Liu said, "Parental or caregivers characteristics, including education and occupation, are major determinants of breakfast frequency. Consequently improving parent's knowledge about the links between nutrition and blood lead might help to prevent lead poisoning in these children."
For more information please read the following related article:
- Impact of lifestyle and diet on BMI: By Jane Clarke, Dietician and Nutritionist
About totalhealth
There is no shortage of health information available on the internet and sometimes when quantity overtakes quality, there can be too much. The information on totalhealth is written by senior doctors who are all experts in their chosen medical field. It is written in plain English and is intended to provide the general public with the information that they want and need to know. In an era of 'patient choice' it is important that patients, friends and relatives have access to authoritative, trustworthy medical information and totalhealth provides this.
It is known that fasting increases lead absorption in adults and consequently regular meals and snacks are recommended for children therefore to prevent lead poisoning. New research published in BioMed Centrals open access journal Environmental Health demonstrates that having a regular breakfast is associated with lower blood lead levels in children.
Data from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study compared blood lead levels to social factors, eating patterns and the intake of micronutrients. While there were no noticeable differences in breakfast patterns for age or gender of the child, there were however differences in blood lead levels. The risk of lead poisoning in boys was almost twice that of girls, and four and five year olds had twice the risk of lead poisoning compared with three year olds. Nevertheless, when variables, such as age and the gender of the child were taken into account, children who ate a regular breakfast had 15% lower blood lead levels than those who skipped breakfast.
Breakfast habits were determined by family tendencies with both the parents and grandparents of children who ate breakfast tending to be professionals or more educated. Dr Jianghong Liu said, "Parental or caregivers characteristics, including education and occupation, are major determinants of breakfast frequency. Consequently improving parent's knowledge about the links between nutrition and blood lead might help to prevent lead poisoning in these children."
For more information please read the following related article:
- Impact of lifestyle and diet on BMI: By Jane Clarke, Dietician and Nutritionist
About totalhealth
There is no shortage of health information available on the internet and sometimes when quantity overtakes quality, there can be too much. The information on totalhealth is written by senior doctors who are all experts in their chosen medical field. It is written in plain English and is intended to provide the general public with the information that they want and need to know. In an era of 'patient choice' it is important that patients, friends and relatives have access to authoritative, trustworthy medical information and totalhealth provides this.
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