I Tried the New Nike Mid-Rise Sneaker and It Was Love at First Run

Photo: Courtesy of Nike

Leave it to Nike to do it again. This time, the innovators over in Portland have created the Nike LunarEpic. And epic it is. With a mid-rise silhouette, the LunarEpic, which dropped today, is the latest kick in the athletic brand’s Run Easy category. Translation: It’s all about comfort. And the more comfy your running shoes, the longer you’ll run—at least that’s Nike’s theory.

The question is, are they worth that $175 (I know, I know) price tag? I think so, but here are the deets so you can decide for yourself:

Cool factor: How many running shoes have that extra ankle support? Exactly. Plus it sort of makes it feel like the shoe is an extension of your leg. Very clever, Nike.

The upper: Made with the ever-popular Flyknit, a material that’s super light yet super strong, it fits like a glove, err sock, err it molds perfectly to my feet.

The midsole: It’s made on a contoured last, with the promise of delivering even more comfort. (I have to say, I have wear-tested plenty of runners in my day, and these are pretty plush.) Nike’s Lunar foam makes the shoe soft and bouncy—something I noticed during sprints. Then there are these little laser cuts in the lateral and medial sides of the midsole’s foam that squish down each time your foot hits the ground.

Photo: Courtesy of Nike

RELATED: How to Buy the Best Running Shoes

The outsole: It’s pressure-mapped with pods that provide targeted cushioning throughout your running gait. These pods even pack a little extra oomph under the heel, metatarsal heads, and forefoot, which are the parts of the foot that need it most since they take the brunt of impact during running. There are also laser cuts on the sole for a nice grippy feel.

What it’s best for: According to Nike, it’s great for low- and high-mileage runs. If you are going long, though, swap out the insole. It also comes with a cushier one for that very reason.

My thoughts: In an intimate setting (there were only seven of us) I put this shoe through its paces in a little fartlek (Swedish for “speed play”) training on the treadmill. I jumped between marathon, 10K, 5K and mile pace, observing how the shoe responded to different speeds. When I upped my speed to about a 7:30-minute mile pace, I really noticed how bouncy the shoe was. It felt like I was bounding forward with each step, which made me feel really light on my feet. They were cushy when I put them on and cushy throughout the workout, so that’s a plus. One tiny note: I did notice the shoe on my left ankle. It didn’t rub or anything ,and it wasn’t uncomfortable, it was just a thought that popped into my head, so I wanted to share. Overall though, I think it is love at first run—at least as far as the treadmill goes for these babies. TBD if I’ll feel the same way once I hit the road.

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Climate-Related Changes in Food Production Could Lead to 500,000 Deaths

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The effects of climate change on food production could lead to the deaths of more than half a million adults in 2050, researchers estimate.

And the research, published March 2 in The Lancet, suggested that three-quarters of those deaths are likely to occur in China and India.

By 2050, lower levels of fruit and vegetable consumption could cause twice as many deaths as poor nutrition, the study based on computer modeling found.

This is the strongest evidence yet of the devastation climate change could have on food production and health worldwide, study leader Marco Springmann and colleagues said in a journal news release. The team predicted the impact in 155 countries.

“Much research has looked at food security, but little has focused on the wider health effects of agricultural production,” explained Springmann. He’s from the Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food at the University of Oxford in England.

“Changes in food availability and intake also affect dietary and weight-related risk factors, such as low fruit and vegetable intake, high red meat consumption and high body weight,” he said in the news release.

These changes can increase the risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke and cancer, and death from those diseases, Springmann added.

Unless action is taken to reduce greenhouse gases worldwide, climate change could reduce the average per-person food availability by about 3 percent, the researchers said. Fruit and vegetable consumption would drop about 4 percent. Red meat consumption would drop by 0.7 percent, the study found.

Those changes could lead to nearly 530,000 more adult deaths in 2050, the researchers predicted.

“Our results show that even modest reductions in the availability of food per person could lead to changes in the energy content and composition of diets, and these changes will have major consequences for health,” Springmann added.

Low- and middle-income countries are likely to be hardest hit by the effects of climate change on food production. The areas that will be mainly affected are the Western Pacific (264,000 deaths) and Southeast Asia (164,000 deaths), the study authors said.

The changes in food availability would impact China and India the hardest. The researchers estimated the changes would result in 248,000 deaths in China and 136,000 in India.

The study authors also looked at the opposite scenario. A future without climate change would increase food availability and consumption, and prevent 1.9 million deaths, the researchers said.

More information

The World Health Organization has more about climate change and health.

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Happiness Might Sometimes Harm Your Heart, Study Finds

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — On rare occasions, a very joyful event might harm your heart, a new study suggests.

Previous research has found that extreme emotions such as grief, anger and fear can trigger chest pain and breathlessness, heart attack, heart failure and even death. The condition is relatively rare, and experts refer to it as takotsubo syndrome, or broken heart syndrome.

The syndrome is the result of a sudden, temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, to balloon out at the bottom and not pump as well.

This new research is the first study to find that a small fraction of these people can develop this problem after a happy event. The researchers dubbed it “happy heart syndrome.”

The findings show that doctors need to consider “that patients who arrive in the emergency department with signs of heart attacks, such as chest pain and breathlessness, but after a happy event or emotion, could be suffering from [takotsubo syndrome] just as much as a similar patient presenting after a negative emotional event,” said study co-author Dr. Jelena Ghadri, resident cardiologist at University Hospital Zurich, in Switzerland.

The study also suggests “that happy and sad life events may share similar emotional pathways that can ultimately cause [takotsubo syndrome],” Ghadri added.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1,750 patients worldwide who were diagnosed with takotsubo syndrome. They found that there was a definite emotional trigger in 485 patients. Of those, 20 (4 percent) developed the syndrome after a happy occasion, such as a birthday party, wedding, surprise farewell celebration, a favorite sports team winning a game, or the birth of a grandchild.

But the majority — 465 cases (96 percent) — occurred after sad or stressful events such as the death of a loved one, attending a funeral, relationship problems, or concerns about an illness.

Ninety-five percent of people who experienced the syndrome after an emotional trigger were women. The average ages were 65 for those with broken heart syndrome and 71 for those with happy heart syndrome.

Those results reinforce the belief that most cases of takotsubo syndrome occur in postmenopausal women, according to the authors of the study published March 2 in the European Heart Journal.

Further research is needed to learn more about the mechanisms behind both the happy and broken heart versions of the syndrome, Ghadri said in a journal news release.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about broken heart syndrome.

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Protein-Heavy Meals Make You Feel Fuller, Sooner: Study

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There may be something to those high-protein diets, with a new study finding that protein does make you feel full sooner.

Many people boost their uptake of meat and other protein-rich foods when trying to shed excess pounds, because they believe it will help them feel fuller while consuming fewer calories.

However, there’s been a lack of large studies to confirm that idea, noted a team led by nutrition researcher Richard Mattes of Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind.

His team analyzed the available data from numerous studies on the issue. The new study concluded that protein does, in fact, make people feel fuller more quickly.

The findings are published March 3 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“A good deal of evidence suggests that protein activates satiety [fullness] hormone release and so should be most strongly tied with fullness ratings,” Mattes, director of Purdue’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center, said in a journal news release.

However, “individual studies are often conducted in small populations or with different approaches that can make interpretation of results challenging. Our study combined multiple experiments to confirm the presence of an effect,” he explained.

But while protein may help dieters feel full, it is not a magic bullet for weight loss, the researchers emphasized.

“Feelings like hunger and fullness are not the only factors that influence [calorie] intake,” Mattes said. “We often eat for other reasons. Anyone who has ever felt too full to finish their meal but has room for dessert knows this all too well.”

And just how much protein is needed to feel full?

Study co-author Heather Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Missouri, said that issue is still “not resolved.”

Still, a moderate increase in protein intake may be a good first step for people trying to lose weight, the researchers suggested.

“If these effects are sustained over the long-term — and our study only looked at short-term effects — increased protein intake may aid in the loss or maintenance of body weight,” Mattes said.

Two nutrition experts said the study is helpful, but the long-term effectiveness for weight loss of protein-heavy diets is still uncertain.

“While this information may be useful to spur additional studies on this topic and how it relates to calorie intake and weight, we cannot conclude that more protein means more weight loss,” said Erin Keane, a nutritionist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City.

“The studies [examined in the new review] differed greatly in the amount of protein eaten, as well as the amount of overall calories eaten at a given sitting,” she noted. “Also, the studies did not provide insight into whether or not increased fullness actually led to decreased overall intake in a given day.”

Dana Angelo White is a nutritionist and clinical assistant professor of athletic training at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. She said that the new finding “reinforces messages that registered dietitians currently give.”

According to White, “The exact amount will vary, but ideally consume a variety of types of protein, both plant and animal-based, distributed throughout the day. This will not only combat hunger, it will provide the body with the amino acids it needs for things like muscle health, immunity and hormone production.”

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about healthy weight.

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Daily Low-Dose Aspirin Linked to Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Taking low-dose aspirin every day may lower the overall risk of cancer by 3 percent, mostly because of larger reductions that were seen in the risk for colon and gastrointestinal tumors, researchers are reporting.

But the benefit was only seen after six years of taking aspirin almost daily, the study authors said.

“That makes sense, because cancers don’t typically develop overnight. They take years to develop, so you would have to take aspirin for a long time to prevent cancer,” said senior researcher Dr. Andrew Chan, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“There is scientific evidence that aspirin has an effect on certain biological pathways that can result in cancer,” he said. And it also reduces inflammation and the amount of some cancer-causing proteins.

This study shows only that taking aspirin is associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer, not that it prevents the disease, Chan said. However, other studies have come to the same conclusion, he added.

“The evidence has reached the point that it may be useful to consider using aspirin to prevent colon cancer,” he said. “But we are still not at a point where the general population should take aspirin for cancer prevention.”

The report was published online March 3 in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Dr. Ernest Hawk is vice president of the division of cancer prevention and population sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. He said, “This is another study suggesting reductions in gastrointestinal and colon cancers among people who take aspirin for other reasons, such as reducing the risk of heart attacks or treating arthritis and relieving pain.” Hawk co-authored an editorial that accompanied the research.

For the study, Chan and colleagues looked at the link between aspirin and cancer among more than 130,000 women and men who took part in the long-term Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

During more than 30 years of follow-up, there were more than 20,000 cancers among more than 88,000 women, and more than 7,500 cancers among nearly 48,000 men, the study found.

Taking low-dose aspirin two times or more per week was associated with a 3 percent lower risk for cancer overall, mostly due to a 15 percent lower risk for gastrointestinal cancers and a 19 percent lower risk for cancers of the colon and rectum, the findings showed.

Aspirin, however, was not associated with a lower risk for other major cancers, such as breast, prostate or lung cancer, the investigators found.

Taking aspirin regularly might prevent 17 percent of colon cancers among those who are not screened with colonoscopy and 8.5 percent of colon cancers among those who are, the research indicated.

“Aspirin may serve as a relatively low-cost primary prevention for gastrointestinal and colon cancers, with reductions in cancers complementing recommended cancer screening,” Hawk said.

Although the evidence is mounting that aspirin may reduce the risk of colon and other cancers, the American Cancer Society does not currently have recommendations for or against aspirin use, said Eric Jacobs, the cancer society’s strategic director for pharmacoepidemiology.

People who have had a heart attack or stroke are usually prescribed aspirin unless there is a good reason not to, such as a recent history of stomach ulcers, Jacobs said.

“People who have not had a heart attack or stroke need to consider the overall balance of risks and benefits, including lower risk of heart disease and colon cancer, but higher risk of serious stomach bleeding,” he said. “This makes more sense than thinking about taking aspirin just for prevention of cancer.”

People who are wondering if they should start taking aspirin should first talk to their physician. The doctor will be able to take into account the patient’s risk for heart disease, as well as reasons why regular aspirin use might not be right for them, Jacobs said.

Aspirin is not a substitute for getting screened for colon cancer, he said. “All Americans 50 or older should talk to their doctor about getting tested for colon cancer so that polyps can be detected and removed before they get a chance to develop into cancer,” Jacobs explained.

More information

For more on aspirin and cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

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10 Charity Walks and Runs That’ll Get You Sweating for a Cause

Photo: Getty Images

With spring right around the corner (hallelujah!), this is the perfect time to sign up—and start training—for a charity run or walk. It may provide just the right dose of fitspiration you need, especially when you know you’ll be sweating it out for a great cause. Below, your guide to fundraising events that will be held across the country in the months ahead.

For breast cancer

The Susan G. Komen Organization is best known for its challenging Susan G. Komen 3-Day, a 60-mile walk that has drawn more than 500,00 participants and crew since 2003, and raised more than $8 million for research and treatment programs. But it’s just one of the many events the nonprofit hosts, including the 5K Komen Race for the Cure.

RELATED: 15 Worst Things You Could Say to Someone Battling Breast Cancer

For leukemia and lymphoma

The Light the Night Walk, held in the evening in more than 200 communities in North America, is put on by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to raise both awareness and funds. In this unique event, survivors carry white lanterns; supporters carry red lanterns; and people walking in memory of loved ones lost carry gold lanterns.

For pancreatic cancer

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has an inspiring goal: To double the survival rate of this terrible disease, one of the deadliest types of cancer, by the year 2020. The Purple Stride event, which includes both a 5K and a family-friendly walk, is one key way the organization is raising funds for research.

For multiple sclerosis

Walk MS is a series of events that attracts about 330,000 people every year in cities and towns nationwide. The charity has been raising money since 1988 to fund research and to provide support for those living with the disease. To participate, you can either register as an individual, or start or join a team (of, say, your friends or coworkers).

RELATED: Could You Have MS? 15 Surprising Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

For brain tumors

Rides, walks, 5Ks, 10Ks—the National Brain Tumor Society hosts a variety of events around the country. The groups missing: To raise money to support the nearly 700,000 Americans living with brain tumors.

For families affected by disabilities

Over the last 13 years, Walk With Me events (including 5K races) have raised nearly $41 million for Easter Seals, which provides services for people with disabilities and special needs, and their families.

For Make-A-Wish America

The funds raised through Walks for Wishes help make dreams come true for kids fighting life-threatening diseases. Thanks to donations, a wish is granted on average, every 37 minutes, in the U.S. and its territories, according to the foundation.

RELATED: 7 Tips for Running Your First Race

For arthritis

The annual 5K Walk To Cure Arthritis supports research for the nation’s number one cause of disability. More than 70 events are scheduled through the end of August.

For heart disease

The Heart Walk is one of the American Heart Association’s most popular events. The groups mission: To save more lives from heart disease (the number one killer in the U.S.) and stroke (the fifth leading cause of death in this country). This year, 1 million walkers are expected to participate in more than 300 cities.

RELATED: Heart Attack Signs Every Woman Should Know

For kidney disease

The Kidney Walk is held in almost 100 communities to raise money for free community screenings, education, and other programs that help combat this disease that affects some 26 million Americans, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

 

 

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Exhausted? Here’s How It Can Sabotage Your Workout

Photo: Pond5

It’s been one of those weeks. You can’t catch a break, your sleep has been crap and now you’re at the gym and the treadmill is looking more like the dreadmill. Before you start hating on yourself, consider this: You’re exhausted.

Whether you’re run down because of stress, lack of zzz’s or too much exercise, the effects of exhaustion are obvious. (Hello, inability to get out of bed.) “You won’t have motivation to go to the gym, and you won’t be able to give the effort necessary to see the results you want,” says Jim Aruilio, T2 trainer at Equinox Lincoln Park in Chicago. In other words, if you even make it to the gym at all, you’ll be lagging, big time.

RELATED: 6 Signs That You’re Exhausted (Not Just Tired)

Here’s What’s Dragging You Down

Skimping on sleep is the obvious culprit behind fatigue—but an important one. It’s not just the x-factor in brainpower, mood, and even your metabolism, but it’s what allows your body to recharge. “Your body produces growth hormones while you sleep, which helps strengthen your bones and muscles,” says Aruilio. Without enough sleep, your body can’t recover as readily. In the gym, that means you’re struggling to overhead press 10-pound weights when usually you rock out with 15-pounders. Or you’re completely spent 15 minutes into barre class, when normally you go strong for the entire hour.

Feel like you did log enough hours in bed this week? If you dealt with a particularly stressful week, you may still be exhausted. When people were tasked with cycling to exhaustion after doing a difficult brain-sapping task for 90 minutes, they found the exercise more difficult and stopped biking sooner compared to a group who spent that time watching a neutral documentary, a small study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found. While mental fatigue didn’t physically limit them, the participants believed they couldn’t go as long or as hard when their brains were spent.

RELATED: Is Chronic Stress Wrecking Your Workouts?

Exhausted? Go Ahead and Sleep In, Already

For all the talk about how you need to stick to a workout plan (Don’t let anything get in your way! Make it a priority!), sometimes your body is sending you a big fat signal that you need to skip your workout and rest already.

“Physically you may notice a decrease in performance, like all of a sudden one push-up feels like you’re wearing a 20-pound weighted vest,” says Aruilio. “You might also experience difficulty getting a good night’s sleep or feel unusually tired throughout the day.”

RELATED: 10 Reasons You’re Exhausted and What to Do About It

Pay attention if your usual motivation just isn’t there, you start dreading a workout or you’re not finding your favorite hot yoga class fun anymore. That’s your body’s way of saying, “I need a break!”

And if you’re mid-workout when you start to fatigue beyond what feels normal, call it and cut it short. “People constantly tell me that they are tired or sore and they think their body is telling them something. My answer is always: ‘It is!’” explains Aruilio.

RELATED: Printable Meal Planning Templates to Simplify Your Life

When your bod is sending you loud and clear signals, don’t be afraid to take a day or even a week off. “You’re not going to wake up the next day five pounds heavier just because you missed a day,” says Aruilio. A rest day plus a good night’s sleep will do the trick for most people, he says.

If you’re the type of person who needs to do something otherwise you go bananas, yoga or light stretching will help you stay active while recharging. And light activity may even up your energy, research shows. Then you can go back to being your bad self at the gym tomorrow.

This article originally appeared on Life by Daily Burn.

More from Life by Daily Burn:

Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

The 20 Worst People at the Gym

5 Exercise Machines That Aren’t Worth Your Time

Life by Daily Burn is dedicated to helping you live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength or de-stress, a better you is well within reach. Get more health and fitness tips at Life by Daily Burn.

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7 Sporty Raincoats That Pack Into Pouches

Whether you’re breaking a sweat outdoors or traveling the world, your clothing arsenal must include a raincoat that can withstand sweat, sun, wind, and—of course—rain. But if the idea of having another coat hanging in your closet makes you cringe, we’ve got you covered. These following seven jackets pack away into tight little pouches for easy storage, and some can even be worn on your arm or waistband, making for easy access during your outdoor workouts.

Nike Packable Breaker Half-Zip ($100; nike.com)

Not only does this jacket fold up into a neat pocket, it also slips into a handy waist belt. Perfect for when you’re unsure whether rain will strike on your run. 

Gap Packable Half-Zip Anorak Jacket ($50; gap.com)

Talk about making a statement: this highlighter-colored pullover is great for anyone who likes to work out at dusk—you will be noticed in this coat. If this hue is too bold for you, it also comes in black.

Cole Haan Double Face Packable Raincoat with Detachable Hood ($298; nordstrom.com)

If you’re a jet-setter, this classic coat is just the thing you need. It looks stylish and fitted so you can wear it while you sightsee without messing up the look of your outfit. Plus, it comes with a small pouch that the entire coat packs into, making it ideal for traveling. A detachable hood provides flexibility for spring’s ever-changing weather conditions.

Women’s Cloud Cap Rain Coat ($99; eddiebauer.com)

This jacket has zippers under the arms so you can air out during intense workouts. It also packs into itself, using a zippered pocket on the right hand.

Lite Packable Jacket ($120; newbalance.com)

Be prepared for anything the weather will throw at you with this sporty jacket that is wind and water resistant as well as being lightweight. It comes in four shades so you can match it to your favoite workout gear color. 

The North Face Venture Jacket ($99; zappos.com)

Shed some light on rainy days with this all in one jacket that stows in its own pocket when skies clear.

Brooks Running Women’s LSD Running Jacket ($98; brooksrunning.com)

The ultimate running companion, this parka folds up and fits into an armband so you can throw it on quickly when the rain starts pouring and pack up easily while your on the move.

 

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Monkeys Move Robotic Wheelchairs With Their Thoughts

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Researchers who made it possible for monkeys to operate a robotic wheelchair using only the monkey’s thoughts say the technology might eventually be used by severely disabled people.

The Duke University neuroscientists created a brain-machine interface that translates a monkey’s thoughts about movement into real-time operation of the wheelchair.

The report, published online March 3 in Scientific Reports, shows the potential such devices hold for people who have lost most of their muscle control and mobility due to disease or injury, said senior study author Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, co-director of Duke’s Center for Neuroengineering, in Durham, N.C.

“In some severely disabled people, even blinking is not possible. For them, using a wheelchair or device controlled by noninvasive measures like an EEG [a device that monitors brain waves through electrodes placed on the scalp] may not be sufficient,” Nicolelis said in a university news release.

“We show clearly that if you have intracranial implants, you get better control of a wheelchair than with noninvasive devices,” he added.

The researchers monitored the brain activity of two rhesus macaque monkeys as they were trained to move a wheelchair toward a bowl containing grapes. Using this data, the research team programmed a computer system to translate movement-related brain signals into digital commands that controlled the wheelchair.

Using only their thoughts, the monkeys were able to navigate the wheelchair to the bowl of grapes. The more they did it, the better they were able to get the wheelchair to the grapes. The monkeys’ brain signals also showed that they were measuring the distance to the grapes.

“This was not a signal that was present in the beginning of the training, but something that emerged as an effect of the monkeys becoming proficient in this task,” Nicolelis noted. “This was a surprise. It demonstrates the brain’s enormous flexibility to assimilate a device, in this case a wheelchair, and that device’s spatial relationships to the surrounding world.”

While research with animals often fails to provide similar results with humans, the scientists said they will conduct more research with monkeys before considering tests of the technology in people.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has more on technology to assist disabled people.

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ADHD Meds Tied to Lower Bone Density in Kids

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Children on medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have lower bone density than their peers, a new U.S. study suggests.

Using data from a government health survey, researchers found that children taking ADHD medications had, on average, lower bone density in the hip and lumbar spine (lower back) than kids not on the drugs.

These prescription medications included stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall, and nonstimulants, like Strattera.

Experts said it’s not clear that the medications themselves actually thin kids’ bones, as the study only showed an association, and there could be other explanations for the connection.

“I’m in no way saying that kids shouldn’t be on these medications,” said Dr. Jessica Rivera, the senior researcher on the study and an orthopedic surgeon with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Studies like this don’t give answers — they raise questions for further research, said Rivera, who was scheduled to present the findings Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, in Orlando, Fla. In general, data and conclusions presented at meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

In theory, there are reasons that ADHD medications could affect kids’ bone density, Rivera said. One way is through diet, she explained, since the drugs can cause stomach upset and dampen a child’s appetite.

It’s also possible that ADHD drugs directly affect bone density, because they act on the sympathetic nervous system, Rivera pointed out.

But for now, that is speculation.

“This is an early study,” Rivera stressed, “and it’s not something that should change practice.” She would not recommend, for instance, that children on ADHD medications routinely have bone scans.

Dr. Eric Hollander, a child psychiatrist who was not involved in the study, agreed.

“The researchers can’t attribute the difference in bone mineral density to the medications, specifically,” said Hollander, who directs the autism and obsessive-compulsive spectrum program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “I would not suggest routine screening of children’s bone mineral density based on this.”

For the study, Rivera’s team used data on more than 5,300 U.S. children ages 8 to 17 who were part of a government health survey. On average, bone mass was somewhat lower among kids who were on ADHD medications.

Overall, about one-quarter of kids on the medications had lower-than-normal bone density, Rivera said.

The researchers did account for some other factors that affect children’s bone mass, such as age, sex and race. But, Hollander said, they couldn’t account for everything, including diet and exercise, and other health conditions the children might have had.

About 3.5 million U.S. children use medication for ADHD, according to background notes with the study. The drugs are prescribed to improve concentration and to help control impulsive and overactive behavior.

“The decision about whether to use ADHD medications always comes down to, what are the benefits versus the potential risks?” Hollander said. That can be tricky, he acknowledged, when the long-term risks remain murky.

If parents are concerned about their child’s bone health, there are ways to address that short of stopping their ADHD medication, Hollander said.

“Thinking about overall nutrition and exercise is always important,” Hollander said. In some cases, he noted, kids may need a supplement to make sure they get enough calcium.

Rivera agreed that attention to nutrition is key. “This could be a perfect opportunity to think about your child’s nutrition and open up a discussion with your doctor,” she said.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on ADHD.

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