We know kids inherit risk factors for things like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. But scientists know very little about the triggers that kick-start those illnesses.
Now, the government is about to launch the largest, most expensive, long-range study of kids yet, a $2.5 billion project that will follow 100,000 kids for an unprecedented 21 years.
Even before the kids are born, researchers will begin by looking at any chemicals or medications taken during pregnancy. Then later, it will follow these children through adulthood, more than two decades. That's just phase one of this effort.
Pediatric cardiologist Edward Clark says that this study is an extraordinary partnership between the national institutes of health, the CDC and the Environmental Protection Agency to finally come to an understanding of how environment interacts with genetics and produces health or disease. One of the things they are talking about in this study is having a mother wear a GPS device so that researchers will know where her location is to be able to correlate the kinds of things she might be exposed to in the environment.
Enrollment for this monumental 21 year study is expected to begin sometime next year.
Heading the ball -- not player collisions -- may lead to temporary thinking declines in soccer players, a new study finds.
Heading the ball -- not player collisions -- may lead to temporary thinking declines in soccer players, a new study finds.
Sigmoidoscopy, an alternative to colonoscopy, may help one gender more than the other, new research shows.
Sigmoidoscopy, an alternative to colonoscopy, may help one gender more than the other, new research shows.
Fitness buffs who push themselves to the limit during workouts might slightly increase their risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests.
Fitness buffs who push themselves to the limit during workouts might slightly increase their risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests.
Yoga can make you flexible and strong, but it can also hurt you if not practiced correctly, an orthopedic expert warns.
Yoga can make you flexible and strong, but it can also hurt you if not practiced correctly, an orthopedic expert warns.
In the wake of an E. coli outbreak that has made more than 50 people in 16 states sick, Americans are now being warned to toss out any romaine lettuce they might have bought in a grocery store.
In the wake of an E. coli outbreak that has made more than 50 people in 16 states sick, Americans are now being warned to toss out any romaine lettuce they might have bought in a grocery store.
Sigmoidoscopy, an alternative to colonoscopy, may help one gender more than the other, new research shows.
Sigmoidoscopy, an alternative to colonoscopy, may help one gender more than the other, new research shows.
Fitness buffs who push themselves to the limit during workouts might slightly increase their risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests.
Fitness buffs who push themselves to the limit during workouts might slightly increase their risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests.
In the wake of an E. coli outbreak that has made more than 50 people in 16 states sick, Americans are now being warned to toss out any romaine lettuce they might have bought in a grocery store.
In the wake of an E. coli outbreak that has made more than 50 people in 16 states sick, Americans are now being warned to toss out any romaine lettuce they might have bought in a grocery store.
Older adults, drink up. You need plenty of water during exercise so your brain gets the full benefits of working out, researchers say.
Older adults, drink up. You need plenty of water during exercise so your brain gets the full benefits of working out, researchers say.
There are differences in the brains of athletes who play contact sports and those who play noncontact sports, according to researchers.
There are differences in the brains of athletes who play contact sports and those who play noncontact sports, according to researchers.