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Common Ingredient in Infant Formula Linked to Liver Disease in Babies
Certain fats commonly used in some infant formulas may put stress on the developing liver and contribute to early signs of fatty liver disease, according to new research led by scientists at Virginia Tech. In experiments, the team found that newborn pigs fed formulas containing specific medium‑chain fats accumulated liver fat more quickly than those given formulas containing long‑chain fats — even though both groups consumed the same calories and protein.
The researchers also discovered that steatotic liver disease — formerly known as non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease — behaves differently in early development than in adulthood. In adults, liver fat tends to build up when fat‑burning processes slow down. In the developing liver, however, fat accumulation occurred even as fat burning increased.
Steatotic liver disease occurs when excess fat builds up in the liver. Once considered an adult condition linked to obesity, it is being diagnosed more frequently in children and has even been documented in some infants, raising questions about how early nutrition influences liver health. To investigate that connection, the researchers used a neonatal pig model to examine how fats commonly used in infant formulas affect liver metabolism during early development.
‘We’ve Dug Ourselves Into This Hole’: What It Takes for Autism Providers to Succeed in a Challenging Market
Behavioral Health Business reported:
The autism therapy industry is likely in for a rough 2026 as payers of all types seek to control runaway spending in the space. Industry insiders tell BHB that such action has already occurred and will likely result in a sustained downward trajectory for reimbursement rates and approved clinical hours. On top of that, it will likely be the norm to see “a crushing number of audits,” a tougher prior authorization process and other increasingly aggressive behaviors by payers.
This tectonic shift is the result of building tension across several faultlines in the industry — all of which bespeak a fundamental unsustainability that the industry, collectively, has a hand in creating.
“As an industry, we’ve dug ourselves into this hole. And the payers themselves have no empathy for the ABA providers who have been billing them 40 hours a week and $75,000 a year for the same kid for five years without any quality scores,” Jeff Beck, co-founder and CEO of AnswersNow, said during the Autism Innovation Exchange webinar in February.
Many AI Toys Claim to Use Chatbots Meant for Adults and Teens
Most major tech companies have age restrictions on their powerful chatbots, but that hasn’t stopped some toy companies from claiming to use OpenAI and Google to power their products.
A report released Tuesday by a consumer watchdog found that more than two dozen toys advertised online were marketed as being powered by leading AI models, despite restrictions meant to stop children from using them.
The report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (PIRG) said the toy companies appeared to have found a gap in AI companies’ policies regarding age restrictions. While young people are forbidden to use such models and their chatbots, developers — people and companies building on the AI models — often don’t face similar restrictions.
‘Public Enemy #1’: Activists Call out Cleveland’s Lack of Progress Fighting Lead Poisoning
A longstanding group of lead safety activists gathered in City Hall’s rotunda Monday morning to remind Mayor Justin Bibb that childhood lead poisoning must be “public enemy #1.” Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing, better known as CLASH, held a press conference to call out what the group sees as a lack of meaningful progress in reducing the number of kids poisoned by lead each year.
The activists say Cleveland’s 2019 lead-safe law is not working as intended. CLASH pointed to a lack of landlords certifying their homes as safe, the decline in the number of children being tested and the city’s failure to spend dollars quickly — an ongoing issue that’s led to Cleveland recently losing $3.3 million meant to remediate homes. “When is the city of Cleveland going to take lead poisoning seriously?” asked Andre White, a member of CLASH who spoke at the press conference.
Children With Poor Oral Health More Often Develop Cardiovascular Disease as Adults
A tooth cavity and bleeding gums is a common scenario among Danish children – and one that researchers now connect to health problems long after the last baby tooth has left the mouth. Children who have multiple tooth cavities or suffer from severe gingivitis show a markedly higher incidence of stroke, heart attack and coronary artery disease as adults. That’s the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen.
The researchers analysed data from 568,000 children born in the 1960s and 70s from the Danish Health Authority’s National Child Odontology Registry and compared them with data on cardiovascular diseases in the National Patient Register up to 2018, when the children had reached adulthood.
By examining these extensive datasets, the researchers identified several striking patterns. Children with numerous tooth cavities had up to a 45% higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in adulthood compared to children with few tooth cavities. For children with severe gingivitis, the incidence was up to 41% higher. The figures vary by sex, but the trend is clear for both groups. At the same time, the incidence seemed to increase as dental problems worsen throughout childhood.
Both Exercise and Regular Bedtimes Reduce ADHD Prevalence, Severity in Adolescents
Higher levels of physical activity and healthier sleep patterns are associated with lower odds of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among adolescents, according to findings published in General Hospital Psychiatry. Prior research has largely evaluated physical activity and sleep in isolation, with limited evidence on how these behaviors may relate to ADHD.
In a cross-sectional analysis, researchers examined the independent and combined associations of physical activity, sleep duration, and bedtime regularity with ADHD prevalence and symptom severity.
When sleep and physical activity were examined together, the lowest odds for ADHD were observed among adolescents who reported both 7 days a week of physical activity and optimal sleep vs longer sleep and no activity (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21-0.51; P <.001).
We Tested 49 More Baby Formulas for Lead and Arsenic
Infant formula is, rightly, one of the most strictly regulated foods on the market. Formula is an essential source of nutrition for millions of infants, and it’s absolutely crucial that the formula we give our babies be nutritious and safe. But even this vital, tightly regulated first food doesn’t always escape the effects of environmental pollution or process contamination, CR’s ongoing testing of infant formula shows.
In March 2025, Consumer Reports reported finding lead and arsenic in several powdered infant formulas, and bisphenol A and acrylamide in one formula as well. For a variety of reasons, these contaminants are unfortunately common in our food supply and environment (and have been found in studies of breast milk as well). In response, regulators pledged to ramp up oversight, increase testing of ingredients and finished products, and keep formula safe.
Now, a year later, CR has tested 49 more infant formulas for those same contaminants — following requests from readers to test liquid formulas, more alternative-protein formulas (such as soy-milk- and goat-milk-based formulas), as well as additional hypoallergenic formulas.
