Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says. Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children’s physical and mental health at the same time. (Ungar and Aleccia, 7/7)

Stores of glucose in the brain could play a much more significant role in the pathological degeneration of neurons than scientists realized, opening the way to new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a tauopathy; a condition characterized by harmful build-ups of tau proteins inside neurons. It's not clear, however, if these build-ups are a cause or a consequence of the disease. A new study now adds important detail by revealing significant interactions between tau and glucose in its stored form of glycogen. ... When fruit flies affected by tauopathy were put on a low-protein diet, they lived longer and showed reduced brain damage, suggesting that the metabolic shift prompted by dieting can help boost GlyP. (Nield, 7/6)

A new clinical trial suggests there are still ongoing questions about the safety of even low doses of cannabidiol, even as CBD capsules, gummies, edibles, oils and lotions have become increasingly omnipresent in the United States in recent years. Scientists from the Food and Drug Administration’s Division of Applied Regulatory Science carried out a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial last year to assess how low-dose CBD affects liver function in a group of healthy middle-aged men and women. (Cox, 7/7)

Measures linked to falling tobacco use worldwide now reach 6.1 billion people — or 75 percent of the global population, according to a report from the World Health Organization. The report, issued at the recent World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, found that 2.6 billion people in 79 countries are covered by smoke-free policies in indoor public places. (Blakemore, 7/5)

Starbucks Corp. is exploring how to remove canola oil from its food lineup in the US. In one example, the company is considering making its egg white and roasted red pepper bites without canola oil, a spokesperson said in response to an inquiry from Bloomberg News. The company will also add a new egg bite to its menu that is made with avocado oil. (Sirtori and Cohrs Zhang, 7/7)

When female athletes collapse on the playing field, they are less likely to be resuscitated than men: A look at gender differences in sudden cardiac arrest. (Cooney, 7/8)