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Banning children from bringing unhealthy snacks to school will boost the use of fruits, says a recent study by Cardiff University. It found that setting up fruit shops within the school premises alone does not encourage children to eat more fruit. The results suggest that schools need to back up healthy eating messages with action by adopting a “fruit only” or “no food” policy on food which children can bring in. The research studied the snacking habits of nine to 11-year-olds at 43 primary schools in England. All the schools had a variety of policies on bringing food to school, ranging from no restrictions, to fruit only. Almost 23 of the schools were asked to start fruit shops selling a variety of fruit at a fixed price and not to sell sweets and crisps as alternatives. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Exercise may cut premenopausal cancer risk
Regular exercise in adolescence and young adulthood may help cut a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer before menopause, according to a recent US study. The women who were the most physically active were 23 per cent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than the women who got the least exercise, the researchers wrote in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. High levels of exercise from ages 12 through 22 contributed the most to the protective effect, the researchers said. The study indicated women need regular physical activity starting at a young age. They called their study the largest and most detailed examination to date of the impact of exercise on breast cancer risk.

Sitting too long is dangerous for infants
Parents should not leave infants less than one month old in a sitting position for a long period, suggest researchers at McGill University Health Center in Montreal, because this may place them at increased risk for sudden infant death. They reported that deaths among infants in a sitting position accounted for about three per cent of the infant deaths they reviewed as part of their study. “Caution should be used when placing younger infants in car seats and similar sitting devices, whether the infants have been born prematurely or not,” said the study. It was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Researchers found that time spent in a sitting position and the presence of airway problems “may have contributed to the death of the infants in a sitting position.

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