Healthy living messages for people with learning disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Obesity, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are common nutritional disorders seen in people with learning disability (LD) and complexities of communication, visual, hearing and cognitive difficulties (NHS-HS, 2004). The national Healthy Living Campaign (HLC) (Healthy Living, 2007) produces health promotion materials with consistent guidance on healthy eating for adults. However, the format could be regarded […]

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Neurodevelopmental effects of maternal nutritional status and exposure to methylmercury from eating fish during pregnancy.

Fish contain nutrients that promote optimal brain growth and development but also contain methylmercury (MeHg) that can have toxic effects. The present study tested the hypothesis that the intake of selected nutrients in fish or measures of maternal nutritional status may represent important confounders when estimating the effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure on child development. […]

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Associations of maternal long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, methyl mercury, and infant development in the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study.

Fish consumption during gestation can provide the fetus with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) and other nutrients essential for growth and development of the brain. However, fish consumption also exposes the fetus to the neurotoxicant, methyl mercury (MeHg). We studied the association between these fetal exposures and early child development in the Seychelles Child Development […]

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‘Hungry Eyes’: visual processing of food images in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder associated with intellectual disabilities, compulsivity, hyperphagia and increased risks of life-threatening obesity. Food preferences in people with PWS are well documented, but research has yet to focus on other properties of food in PWS, including composition and suitability for consumption. It is also unclear how food perceptions […]

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The impact of aging on eating, drinking, and swallowing function in people with Down’s syndrome.

Many people with Down’s syndrome (DS) experience eating, drinking, and swallowing (EDS) difficulties, which can potentially lead to life-threatening conditions such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia. As the life expectancy of people with DS continues to improve, there is an increasing need to examine how the aging process may further affect these conditions. Published […]

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Feeding difficulties in children and adolescents with chronic illness.

Good health demands good nutrition and in the child it is reflected in normal growth. Children who cannot or do not eat properly often become unwell and do not grow. This becomes a source of great concern and anxiety for their parents. Several chronic illnesses in children impair normal feeding; this article aims to describe […]

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Methylmercury toxicity and functional programming.

PURPOSE: Adverse health effects of developmental toxicants may induce abnormal functional programming that leads to lasting functional deficits. This notion is considered from epidemiological evidence using developmental methylmercury neurotoxicity as an example. MOST IMPORTANT FINDINGS: Accumulating evidence indicates that adverse effects may occur even at low-level methylmercury exposures from seafood and freshwater fish. Neurobehavioral outcomes […]

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Growth and nutrition disorders in children with cerebral palsy.

Growth and nutrition disorders are common secondary health conditions in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Poor growth and malnutrition in CP merit study because of their impact on health, including psychological and physiological function, healthcare utilization, societal participation, motor function, and survival. Understanding the etiology of poor growth has led to a variety of interventions […]

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Carbohydrate and lipid disorders and relevant considerations in persons with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of carbohydrate and lipid disorders in adults with chronic spinal cord injury and evaluate their risk contribution to cardiovascular diseases and the potential impact of exercise and pharmacologic and dietary therapies to alter these disorders and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Database and Web sites of […]

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