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Is your teenager skipping breakfast? Why is that happening and what can you do? As per the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which surveyed adolescent health and well-being found that 1 in 4 students in high school ate breakfast, which means 3 in 4 high school students are not eating their breakfast. This data is as per the 2023 survey.
The report describes a 10-year long trend and also recent changes among the two years. The study delved deeper into adolescents' dietary, physical activity and sleep behaviors. The study is also based on a national youth risk behavior survey of a representative sample of students from grade nine to 12.
The study found that while high school students drank slightly less soda and sports drinks and consumed more water, other healthy eating habits declined. In 2023, only 27% of students ate breakfast every day in the past week. The numbers were even lower for female students, with just 22% eating breakfast daily, compared to 32% of male students. Boys were also more likely to eat fruits and vegetables daily and drink water at least three times a day. Poor mental health and lack of physical activity have also been linked to skipping breakfast.
The other findings included a survey across 10-year period, where a decrease in the percentage of students eating fruits from 65% to 55%, eating vegetables, from 61% to 58%, and having breakfast daily from 38% to 27% was noted.
However, there was a positive trend among this, which was in children drinking plain water at least three times a day, which increased from 49% to 54% from when the survey began in 2015.. There were fewer students who also said that they drank soda in 2023 than in 2013. On an average, in 2013, around 22% students avoided soda, whereas in 2023, 31% students avoided it.
The report also emphasized that a healthy diet, along with daily physical activity and sufficient sleep further contributes to a healthy lifestyle. “The 10-year trends from 2013 to 2023 also show a decline in healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors,” the survey reported.
While there is no one straightforward answer to it, psychologists and those who study children, believe that for many high school going kids, it is the easiest time to skip a meal. This is because they are caught between rushing to school, or not just that hungry in the morning. So for them, to sit down to have a breakfast may seem hassle and something they would have to take time out from their busy schedule. They at this age also prioritize their extra-curricular activities.
There has also been a shift in their circadian rhythm, and most teens cannot fall asleep before 11 pm, or even at midnight. Which means they wake up tired and struggle to do things right in the morning, which is why they choose to skip breakfast or give extra minutes to any other activities.
There is of course another, more popular reason, to lose weight. While experts and studies, like the one published in the Journal of Nutrition that found skipping breakfast leads to higher levels of hunger hormones, the students still feel the need to do this. However, it could lead to a slow metabolism, prompt the body to conserve energy and burn fewer calories, weight gain and deprive yo off the essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin D.
Without a morning breakfast, your blood sugar might drop too, which can increase irritability and stress, along with including the risk of depression in teenage.
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Food safety has become a serious concern in the US in recent months, with a large number of products recalled over contamination, bacterial infections, and other health risks.
The latest recalls involve rice over potential foreign material contamination and mini doughnuts over undeclared milk that may trigger allergic reactions.
Packages of mini donuts sold nationwide are being recalled after a consumer reported an allergic reaction linked to the product, USA Today reported.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Better Bakehouse Snack Company is recalling certain lots of Donutful Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Cake Donuts because they may contain undeclared milk.
People with a milk allergy or severe sensitivity to milk could face a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the affected product, the FDA said.
The food regulator noted that the consumer who suffered the allergic reaction has fully recovered. The manufacturer has identified the cause of the mislabeling and taken corrective measures.
Also read: From Dog Food To Fruit Bars: Over 10 Products Recalled In US Over Contamination
The recalled doughnuts are limited to a specific lot manufactured and distributed in March 2026. The product was shipped to retailers nationwide and sold through Amazon.
Consumers should check the following details to determine whether they have the recalled product:
The FDA advises consumers to dispose of the affected product and obtain a refund from the point of purchase with a receipt, or return the product for a refund.
An FDA update on August 25 provides more details about an April 2026 rice recall involving Lundberg Family Farms.
The company's Jasmine white rice was recalled because of potential contamination with foreign materials.
According to the FDA, 27,324 packages of 32-ounce rice were recalled, totaling 54,648 pounds. Lundberg-branded rice was also part of the recall initiated by the FDA in April this year.
The recalled rice was distributed in:
Consumers can identify the affected products using these details:
The expiration dates are February 1 and February 2, 2027. Consumers who were unaware of the earlier recall announcements may still have the affected product at home.
The recall follows the FDA's May 7 Class II classification.
According to the FDA, a Class II recall involves a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or where the likelihood of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
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Belgium has been hit by a Salmonella outbreak linked to contaminated eggs, with more than 300 people falling ill, according to the country’s food safety agency. The outbreak comes after similar Salmonella outbreaks linked to contaminated eggs were reported in the US and UK.
According to the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC), the outbreak has been linked to eggs produced by Laerco, a company based in Geel in northern Belgium.
“Salmonella is relatively common in Belgium, but we never had such a broad cluster with so many people hit,” an AFSCA spokesperson said.
No deaths have been reported in connection with the Belgian outbreak. However, officials warned that the actual number of cases could be higher, as some people may have experienced mild or no symptoms and did not seek medical testing, BOL News reported.
Also read: UK Food Agency Warns Vulnerable Groups to Avoid Runny Eggs: Who Is At Risk And Which Foods To Avoid
Salmonella was first detected at Laerco’s Geel facility at the end of April. In May, a large-scale recall was launched, with all eggs from the site withdrawn from the market.
The affected products were distributed through several major supermarket chains, including Colruyt, Delhaize, Aldi and Carrefour.
The precautionary recall was also extended to Luxembourg. FASFC notified several other European countries that may have received the eggs, including the Netherlands, France, Italy and Portugal.
As many as 2 million potentially contaminated eggs may have been sold, according to authorities.
AFSCA first discovered the contamination in May and responded by recalling the affected eggs and closing one henhouse at the farm in Flanders.
However, additional cases were reported in the following months. Officials expanded the investigation and closed the entire farm. The poultry were subsequently destroyed after a second egg recall was issued on August 10.
Secondary testing found that the bacteria had spread across multiple sheds despite initial isolation efforts, Euronews reported.
Read More: From Dog Food To Fruit Bars: Over 10 Products Recalled In US Over Contamination
The Belgian outbreak comes after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) linked two deaths and 474 illnesses to three separate Salmonella Enteritidis clusters across the UK.
The US is also experiencing a Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upgraded the recall to its highest risk level and classified nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs as “Class I”, its most serious category for products that could cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
The multistate Salmonella outbreak has been linked to Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. person.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhea and gastrointestinal illness.
Common symptoms include:
Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
Most people recover from Salmonella infection without medical treatment. However, children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems may develop serious illness requiring medical care.
It can spread through contaminated food, including:
The bacteria can also spread through contact with contaminated environments or from person to person.
Health officials have advised consumers to follow recall instructions and avoid eating affected eggs. UK officials also urged vulnerable people to avoid undercooked or runny eggs, especially when dining out.
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Long hours, jet lag and rapidly changing time-zone are few of the perils of aviation jobs.
Just days after a study revealed that pilots and flight attendants are at a higher cancer risk than the general population, a French court ruled in favour of a former flight attendant, recognising her breast cancer as an occupational disease.
The ruling has exposed the serious risks of exposure to ionising radiation at high altitudes.
A court in Bayonne has recognised former Air France flight attendant Sophie Lainault's breast cancer as an occupational disease, marking the first such ruling for France’s aviation industry.
The court considered her long-term exposure to cosmic radiation, night shifts, and passive smoking during her career that spanned almost three decades.
Lainault, now 59, worked for Air France from 1989 to 2019, first as cabin crew and later as a purser on long-haul flights. She logged more than 12,600 flight hours, including over 6,500 at night.
She told AFP, "It is truly my dearest wish that this opens the way for other women who might not have dared until now."
The higher you travel, the thinner the atmosphere becomes. At commercial cruising altitudes, there is therefore less atmospheric protection against cosmic radiation.
Aircrew can accumulate substantially more occupational radiation exposure than people working at ground level because they spend hundreds or thousands of hours at high altitude during their careers.
The French court specifically cited ionising radiation as one of the occupational factors in Lainault's case.
It also considered night shifts and second-hand smoke, which was particularly relevant because smoking was permitted on Air France flights until 2000.
The ruling does not mean that radiation alone was the reason behind her breast cancer. The court considered several workplace exposures which may have contributed to her diagnosis.
Also read: Daraxonrasib: US FDA Approves Once-Daily Pill for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
The ruling comes just days after a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined cancer risk among pilots, flight attendants, and other airline staff who spend several hours at high altitudes.
Researchers analysed more than 12.7 million deaths from 2020 to 2024 across 503 occupations. Flight attendants had the highest proportion of deaths from radiation-related cancers, while pilots ranked second.
Radiation-related cancers accounted for approximately 6.9% of deaths among flight attendants and 6.7% among pilots, compared with about 5% in the general working population.
The cancers examined in the study included breast cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, leukaemia and cancers involving the central nervous system, among others.
The researchers, however, have cautioned against interpreting the findings as proof that cosmic radiation caused these deaths. Aircrew also experiences night work, disrupted circadian rhythms and other occupational exposures, which can contribute.
Also read: ‘Sunscreen Is A Health Essential’: UK Skin Cancer Survivor Urges Govt To Scrap Tax
The recent study speaks about the occupational hazards faced by pilots and flight attendants, who may spend thousands of hours in the air over decades of their careers. That is very different from someone taking a few commercial flights each year. Airline staff who fly regularly are at higher risk due to the cumulative effect of radiation.
Air France said it was not a party to Lainault's case and had not been informed of the court's reasoning but said the “health and safety of employees at work is an absolute priority.”
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