Bambini February 2017 Newsletter 
Should My Child Take MCT?
Seems that "Eat Fat Get Thin," "Bulletproof Coffee," "Paleo," and "Ketosis" have become buzzwords lately in the diet and nutrition community! To what extent can health-conscious parents apply these principles to their children? If so, which kids might especially benefit from MCT?
 
Certainly, parents of children that are struggling with obesity may find that, as Mark Hyman MD and others are suggesting, adding healthy fats into their diet can be a very effective way to help these kids achieve and maintain their ideal weight. How so?

Healthy fats provide flavor, stabilize blood sugar, and even reduce inflammation. An hour after a bowl of cereal and skim milk or a waffle and orange juice, many kids will start getting hungry or show signs of low blood sugar. That's not going to happen after a lumberjack breakfast like a 3-egg omelet stuffed with veggies and cheddar cheese!
 
Some kids, however, are not going to be ready to immediately make the switch. That's where adding a little medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil into their customary breakfast may help. MCT is tasteless oil derived from coconuts that comes as either a liquid or powder (the powder seems to be easier on the stomach), and is quite affordable.  Bambini does not currently stock but stores like The Health Connection will carry it.   
 
Moreover, the brain can use MCT as fuel - which is why kids with ADHD, PDD, and epilepsy may find it especially helpful. Perhaps you are starting to wonder:
  • Most fruit has almost no healthy fat. Should I be cutting back on giving my overweight daughter fresh fruit?
  • My seventeen year-old son is still on a pretty high dose of Adderall. Would introducing "bulletproof" (organic black coffee with MCT and grass-fed butter) get him on a lower medication dose?
  • Can my type 2 diabetic child safely do intermittent fasting or a ketogenic diet?
Feel free to bring up these and related questions at your next visit with us!
Acetaminophen & Autism
This article was sent to us by Dr. Eli Morales, a naturopath from Kingston.
 
These were the same researchers from San Antonio who, way back in 2008, reported that children who used acetaminophen at age 12 to 18 months vs. those who did not were eight times more likely to have autism when all children were considered, and nearly 21 times more likely to have ASD when limiting cases to children with regression in development (yikes! why haven't we heard more about this?). Even prenatal exposure  to acetaminophen has been linked to autism.
 
In this current study, data on acetaminophen use from 118 children with ASD was compared with 79 control children. Average age was about 11 years-old. What did the authors find? These older children with ASD compared to control children were significantly less likely to use acetaminophen for fever. The authors speculate that early exposures to acetaminophen in these kids altered their endocannabinoid system such that Tylenol no longer worked well for them.
 
These findings help explain why supplements like sulforophane that increase glutathione levels often help children with ASD. But here's the moral of story: whether during pregnancy, early childhood, or even later: be very stingy with Tylenol!
Baby Bottle Befuddlement
Although we estimate that about 90% of two month old infants in our practice are almost exclusively nursing, the reality of life is that increasing numbers of breastfeeding mothers return to the workplace a few weeks after delivery. Their infants must adapt to expressed milk served from a bottle. Other infants, due to a variety of maternal circumstances, are raised on bottled infant formula.
 
When parents these days shop for the right baby bottle, they can easily get overwhelmed by the daunting array of options. Babies'R'us, for instance, carries some 26 brands of bottles.  Search "baby bottle" in Amazon and 5,233 results!  Avent, Playtex, EvenFlo, Nuk, Similac, Adiri, Medela, Chicco, Joovy, Nuby....
 
That's way too many to discuss here. Instead, we'll briefly comment on four that we have heard about in the trenches:
 
Dr. Brown's bottles came out 20 years ago. Most parents recognize them by the tube in the center - their internal vent system. They run $16 for package of 3. The vent may reduce gas, hiccups, and spit-up, but results in more leaks and a more tedious cleanup.
 
Tommee Tippee is $20 for a three-pack. They come in either plastic or glass (latter can break but avoids BPA, BPS, and phthalates). They now have an ultra-bottle designed for best latch, an anti-colic bottle (with a vent tube), and an added cereal bottle for babies with reflux.
 
Next, things start getting pricey: Comotomo bottles are $39 for pack of three. A couple families, frustrated when mom had to return to work at two months and the babies had thumbed their nose at the econo-bottles, found their little ones took to this brand. They  are made of a soft silicone that takes a little getting used to.
 
Get out the checkbook for Mimijumi -- $80 for three pack!!! Needless to say, our experience with these bottles is limited. We have heard of only one family in the practice that went with Mimijumi. Fortunately, the baby was cute. Reviews on Amazon mixed; Comotomo rated higher.
 
Regardless of which brand you go with, it is always prudent to invert the bottle briefly to check flow rate - too fast could lead to gagging, too slow could lead to frustration and gas. For bottles that have been warmed, checking flow rate can also assure that the contents were not excessively heated - which could lead to leaching of plasticizer and even oral burns.
Parent Forum Highlights
Did personal circumstances not allow you to attend our parent forum last month?  No worries! 

In part 1, Dr. Malak addresses questions on folate supplements for children.
https://youtu.be/T06_RrwWM-U

During part 2, Bambini's recommendations on multivitamins and supplements are discussed.  https://youtu.be/YrMgxV-2fYA  

Remaining segments will be uploaded over the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.... 
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