An Obama-era change to school lunches could be linked to a drop in childhood obesity rates, a new study suggests.
The American Journal of Diseases of Children suggested that a modification of public school lunches that boosted the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains students consumed could have lowered the body mass index of a swath of youth.
Dr. Aruna Chandran, social epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and lead researcher on this study, told the Associated Press that making early dietary changes can have lasting effects on children.
"You have the potential to really impact their excess weight gain over the course of their entire childhood," she said.
Over 14,000 students ages 5 to 18 were tracked from January 2005 through March 2020 but there was a significant drop in overall BMI around the time the Hunger Free Kids Act was passed.
In 2010, a study by the American Heart Journal suggested that poor nutritional school lunches were, at least in part, linked to childhood obesity. It noted other factors like decreased physical activity and excessive recreational screen time as contributors to childhood weight gain.
Former first lady Michelle Obama spearheaded the call to make school lunches healthier during the same year.
"The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act does still have impact in adolescents when they have such differences in dietary preferences, and the ability to purchase their own foods compared to younger children," Dr. Lauren Au, assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, told CNN.
The U.S. Government is making its first major move toward encouraging nuclear energy in the U.S., as it pushes toward a sustainable future. Scott Waldman, White House reporter for Politico's E&E News joined Cheddar News to break down the developments. "There's definitely an audience for this now since we're looking at the value of nuclear in terms of climate policy," he said, regarding the prospects for bipartisan support.
Google reportedly has announced that its employees must declare their vaccination status by January 18 or face a loss of pay, administrative leave, and eventual termination.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest data showing the Omicron wave has likely started, Pfizer's Covid pill, Jan. 6 and a box office rescue attempt courtesy of Spider-Man.
Upward Farms is an indoor vertical farming company on a mission to heal our broken food system and reconnect consumers with organic locally-grown food. The Brooklyn-based company uses its controlled environment farms to grow organic leafy greens, which are sold at whole foods markets in New York City. Upward Farms co-founder and CEO Jason Green joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to widespread electric vehicle adoption is consumer hesitation about their ability to keep their EV charged if they take a longer trip outside of their locality. Now, electric companies nationwide are teaming up as part of a coalition to build out a network of EV charging stations spanning major U.S. travel corridors. Kellen Schefter, director of electric transportation at the Edison Electric Institute, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss the coalition's plans, how drivers can compare fueling up with gas to recharging an EV on a long trip, how the charging network will be funded, and more.
As more states begin to legalize recreational marijuana, there's a growing interest in legalizing cannabis cultivation. As the rise in cannabis farms expands across the U.S., more research is being done to examine its impact on the planet. Michael Katz, executive director at Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, joins Cheddar News to talk about the carbon footprint of cannabis farms.
Blue Origin launched its third manned mission over the weekend with 'Good Morning America' host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard on board, alongside several Blue Origin investors.
This comes after the spaceflight firm launched two successful missions to the edge of space earlier this year. How will these missions set up Blue Origin for success as it competes with SpaceX and other companies for space tourism domination and more? Joey Roulette, space reporter at The New York Times, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Mina Makar, senior vice president of respiratory and immunology, Astrazeneca, joined Cheddar to discuss the FDA's decision to give emergency use authorization to the pharma giant's COVID-19 antibody treatment called Evusheld for immunocompromised patients For about 2 percent of the U.S. Makar noted that the injection is supposed to provide antibody protection for those who can't generate their own adequate immune response via the vaccines for a minimum of six months, though long-term trials are underway.
The pandemic has forced corporate America to reshape itself to adapt, including onboarding doctors as chief medical officers to help maintain the health and safety of staff. Dr. Geeta Nayyar, chief medical officer at Salesforce, joined Cheddar to break down her role and how it has become relevant and necessary in the evolving workplace. "Every business today is now in the business of healthcare," she said. "It is a priority to empower employees to then serve your customers."
