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Research

Children arriving hungry in the first year of school: population trends in Australia from 2009 to 2021

Access to adequate nutrition is a human right. In 2023, 23% of Australian households were severely food insecure, reducing food intake, skipping meals or days of eating. Food insecurity in early childhood is linked to poor health and development. Specifically, breakfast provides children with the necessary nutrients required for sustained attention, memory, and cognitive growth. Australian research has reported that one in three children aged 8–18 years regularly skip breakfast. However, there is little understanding of the prevalence of food insecurity among young children in Australia.

Research

Could foodomics hold the key to unlocking the role of prebiotics in gut microbiota and immunity?

Prebiotics research in the last decade has come a long way due to the maturation of omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and foodomics) and bioinformatics tools.

Research

The built environment and child obesity: A review of Australian policies

Child obesity is a serious public health challenge affected by both individual choice and societal and environmental factors. The main modifiable risk factors for child obesity are unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity, both influenced by aspects of the built environment. 

Research

World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) guidelines update – X – Breastfeeding a baby with cow's milk allergy

Cow's milk allergy is rare in exclusively breastfed infants. To support the continuation of breastfeeding an infant after diagnosis with a cow's milk allergy, it is critical to examine the evidence for and against any form of cow's milk elimination diet for lactating mothers. In this narrative review, we highlight the lack of high-quality evidence, hence subsequent controversy, regarding whether the minuscule quantities of cow's milk proteins detectable in human milk cause infant cow's milk allergy symptoms.

Research

Additional Insulin Is Required in Both the Early and Late Postprandial Periods for Meals High in Protein and Fat: A Randomized Trial

The pattern and quantity of insulin required for high-protein high-fat (HPHF) meals is not well understood. This study aimed to determine the amount and delivery pattern of insulin required to maintain euglycemia for 5 hours after consuming a HPHF meal compared with a low-protein low-fat (LPLF) meal.

Research

Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising during the school commute in Australia

Food marketing exposure has the potential to influence children's dietary behaviours and health status, however, few studies have identified how 'obesogenic' the outdoor food marketing environment is along public transport (bus and/or train) or walking routes that children take to school.

News & Events

Vitamin B crucial to children’s mental health

A new study led by The Kids has uncovered a significant link between vitamin B levels and the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.

News & Events

Mandatory folate fortification a win for Australian families

The introduction of mandatory fortification of bread making flour with folate will save hundreds of families every year from the heartbreak of birth defefects

Research

Maternal dietary intake of folate and vitamins b6 and B12 during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Maternal dietary intake of folate and vitamins b6 and B12 during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Research

Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids and risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents

Previous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are beneficial in reducing symptoms of depression.