Genetic Testing for Kids: Is It a Good Idea?

With the advent of new genetic tests, it's increasingly easy to gauge whether you're predisposed to developing certain conditions — diabetes, say, or breast cancer. For adults, that knowledge can be simultaneously overwhelming and empowering. For children, the ramifications of such predictions are especially controversial, which is why professional groups — the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in particular — have come out against genetic testing of children for adult-onset diseases.

Yet a new study published today in the AAP-affiliated journal Pediatrics finds that parents who were offered the option of genetic testing for themselves said they would also like to test their children. The 219 parents surveyed indicated they believe that the risks of testing their children for eight adult-onset conditions — colon, skin and lung cancer; heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis — outweigh the benefits.

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Psychiatric Risks are More Common among Kids with Epilepsy

According to a study of the Alfstad, National Centre for Epilepsy at Oslo University Hospital, it has been revealed that psychiatric symptoms are more common among the children with epilepsy. Around 40,000 of the people are suffering from epilepsy. However, the research is failed to explain that how children with epilepsy develop with psychiatric problems.

Some other risk factors for the psychiatric symptoms are low socioeconomic status, living alone, poverty, and some chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma.

Although, it has been found that boys had a higher risk of psychiatric problems, as they are more hyperactive and suffer more peer pressure in contrast to girls.

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POOR DIET DURING PREGNANCY INCREASES BABY'S SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DIABETES

Scientists of the Cambridge University have been successful in establishing a link between a woman's diet during the 9-months of her pregnancy and the child's risk of developing diabetes later in life. Researchers have identified a gene Hnf4a which is affected by the pregnant woman's diet and causes type 2 diabetes. These genetic changes can be inherited and passed on to future generations.

Senior author on the paper and British Heart Foundation senior fellow from Cambridge's Institute of Metabolic Science, Dr. Susan Ozanne said, "What is most exciting about these findings is that we are now starting to really understand how nutrition during the first nine months of life spent in the womb shapes our long-term health by influencing how the cells in our body age.

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GESTATIONAL DIABETES CAN BE PREVENTED BY DIETARY CHANGES DURING EARLY PREGNANCY

A new study has found that it is possible to prevent the onset of Gestational Diabetes in an expectant mother by making simple changes in the mother's diet. The study, done by researchers at UCSF(University of California - San Francisco), found that a chemical called serotonin influences the onset of Gestational Diabetes in an expectant mother. Since serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan which is found abundantly in high-protein foods, eating foods rich in protein during early pregnancy may prevent gestational diabetes in pregnant women.

Gestational Diabetes is a condition in which insulin resistance(caused by hormonal changes) leads to high glucose levels or hyperglycemia in some women. It can have serious consequences for the mother and child, if left untreated. According to the researchers, the study "offers new insights into possible ways to reverse non-gestational diabetes in its early stages".

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ELEVATED RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS FOUND IN WOMEN WITH PRE-PREGNANCY DIABETES

Type II diabetes is a very troublesome condition. Without a proper diet (avoiding non-fibrous carbohydrates, trans fats) and exercise routine, the condition can spiral out of control, leading to amputations, blindness, and eventually death. There is another undesirable effect that it has: birth defects. In a new research study, it was shown that women with pre-gestational diabetes (diabetes before pregnancy) are three to four times more like to have a child with birth defects than other women.

This startling new study, which is the largest of its kind to record this kind of information, has described at least 40 different types of birth defects that can afflict the infant. From spine malformation to missing kidneys, these birth defects are serious and carry certain hardships that the child will face. For a long time, many birth defects have been shrouded in mystery, confounding researchers who unsuccessfully tried to uncover their origins. Now, we may have found the culprit for at least some of those birth defects: type II diabetes.

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