5 Crazy-Effective Crunch Variations

Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365

These moves come to you from four of our top Daily Burn 365 trainers. For a new, 30-minute workout every day, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

When it comes to the ultimate ab exercises, crunches top the list. From runners to yogis to CrossFit buffs, athletes favor this simple, no-equipment move to strengthen the abdominals, obliques and hips. But the basic move can become, well, routine. So to help you kick up your core game, we rounded up these killer crunch variations, guaranteed to tighten and tone your midsection. As Daily Burn 365 trainer Justin Rubin says, “Crunches work your obliques, your sides, your lower abs, your upper abs. It’s a total-core workout.”

RELATED: 5 Standing Ab Exercises for People Who Hate Crunches

5 Crunch Variations to Sculpt Your Abs

1. Modified Bicycle Crunch
If you have trouble keeping your legs lifted during a bicycle crunch, this modified version helps ease discomfort on your lower back and keeps your neck supported—all while toning your obliques. Your upper body will also benefit from a fuller range of motion as you move from one side to the other.

How to: Lay flat on your back on an exercise mat and place your hands behind your ears on your head, keeping your arms in a straight line (a). Lift your head with your hands in a 45-degree angle to the floor and bend your knees in front of you with just your heels touching the mat (toes pointed up) (b). Lift your right knee to about a 90-degree angle to the floor as you bring your left elbow to meet it. Now switch opposite sides with the same motion, engaging your core muscles the whole time (c). Repeat for eight reps.

RELATED: Hate Crunches? 6 Better Core Exercises for Beginners

2. Standing Crunch
Standing crunches are great as part of a dynamic warm-up because they activate the muscles in your abs, arms and legs while getting your heart rate up. But they’re also ideal for an active recovery mid-HIIT workout when you transition from one set to the next, or when you want to slow down your heart rate as you switch from cardio to strength training.

How to: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart (a). Bring your arms up with your hands reaching for the ceiling and your palms facing each other (b). Engage your core to lift your right knee to hip height. At the same time, lower your arms at your sides, bringing them by your waist (c). Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side. (d). Do eight reps.

RELATED: 5 Stability Ball Exercises For a Crazy Strong Core

3. V-Sit Crunch
In addition to strengthening your core like crazy, this challenging move will help elongate your body. Did we mention it helps stretch your hamstrings, too? (We’re looking at you, runners!). If your hands can’t meet your legs, keep your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees as you lift your hands to your feet.

How to: Lie flat on the floor with your arms by your head and your hands reaching for the wall behind you. Keep your feet straight out in front of you (a). Engage your core as you lift your right leg straight up into the air, until it’s perpendicular to the floor (b). At the same time, pull your upper body toward your leg so your hands meet your ankle or shin (c). Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite leg. (d). Repeat for eight reps.

RELATED: The Pilates Ab Workout to Sculpt Your Core

4. Reverse Crunch
This variation of reverse crunches borrows the pulsating movements of barre with the bridge pose. The trick is to keep your upper body still as your core and lower body do the work. In this reverse crunch variation, the spine is also lengthened and strengthened (win-win!).

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Your hands should be at your sides and your palms facing down (a). Press your feet against the floor and use your abdominal muscles to lift your hips up. Hold this pose for two seconds (b). Bring your hips back down to the floor and lift your legs as you pull your knees toward your chest. Avoid using momentum from your legs to pull them in and engage your core muscles instead (c). Hold the crunch for two seconds before bringing your feet back down to the floor (d). Do eight reps.

RELATED: Need a Cardio Fix? Try This 5-Minute Kickboxing Workout

5. Kickboxing Crunch
Add some pep and power to your standing crunch with this kickboxing-inspired move. For those looking to strengthen your balancing skills, this is the exercise for you. This kickboxing crunch offers the right combination of strength training and cardio, working out your core and arms while building endurance, too.

How to: Get into a kickboxing stance, standing tall with your hip-distance apart. Keep your left arm bent high at your side. (a). Jab with your right arm to the side from the bottom to the top. At the same time, engage your abs and do a squat. Then, pull your right knee towards your chest to do a crunch. (b). Next, kick with your right leg out in front of you with your hands at your sides (left arm bent high and right arm at waist-height). (c). Repeat this motion for eight reps before switching to the other side.

This article originally appeared on Daily Burn.

Want more quick and easy moves you can do right at home, head to DailyBurn.com/365 — it’s free for 30 days!

More from Daily Burn:

Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week
5 Exercise Machines That Aren’t Worth Your Time
5 Planks to Seriously Sculpt Your Core

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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Medical Errors: A Hidden Killer

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Medical errors may be the third leading cause of death in the United States, a new study contends.

Johns Hopkins University researchers analyzed eight years of U.S. data and concluded that more than 250,000 people died each year due to medical errors.

If confirmed, that would make medical errors the third leading cause of death among Americans. Currently, respiratory disease, which kills about 150,000 people a year, is listed as the third leading cause of death by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, “incidence rates for deaths directly attributable to medical care gone awry haven’t been recognized in any standardized method for collecting national statistics,” said Dr. Martin Makary, a professor of surgery at Baltimore-based Hopkins.

The CDC’s data collection method does not classify medical errors separately on a death certificate, according to the study authors, who called for changes to that criteria.

“The medical coding system was designed to maximize billing for physician services, not to collect national health statistics, as it is currently being used,” Makary explained in a university news release.

The Hopkins researchers examined four separate studies that analyzed medical death rate data from 2000 to 2008, including two that used data from federal agencies.

Then, using hospital admission rates from 2013, the investigators extrapolated that information, and based on a total of over 35 million hospitalizations, more than 251,000 deaths stemmed from a medical error. That translates to 9.5 percent of all U.S. deaths each year, the study authors said.

But the CDC data paints a different picture.

The CDC statistics show that in 2013, over 611,000 people in the United States died of heart disease, nearly 585,000 died of cancer and about 150,000 died of chronic respiratory disease.

“Top-ranked causes of death as reported by the CDC inform our country’s research funding and public health priorities,” Makary said. “Right now, cancer and heart disease get a ton of attention, but since medical errors don’t appear on the list, the problem doesn’t get the funding and attention it deserves.”

The findings were published May 3 in the BMJ.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians explains how patients can help prevent medical errors.

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Fatty Foods, Drowsy Days

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Men who eat a lot of fatty foods may find themselves needing an afternoon nap, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among almost 800 men aged 35 to 80, those with diets high in fat reported more problems with daytime sleepiness. The connection was not explained by body weight, exercise levels or chronic health issues, such as diabetes or depression.

The study, published recently in the journal Nutrients, does not prove that dietary fat, itself, induces drowsiness.

It’s unclear why a fatty diet might affect drowsiness, according to lead researcher Yingting Cao, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

But, Cao said, lab studies suggest that certain “gut neuro-hormones” promote sleepiness, so it’s plausible that a high-fat diet could somehow affect daytime drowsiness.

According to Cao, more research is needed to understand how fatty foods might encourage drowsiness, and whether the timing of a high-fat meal matters: Does eating fat-laden food at night, for example, interfere with sleep?

The study findings are based on 784 Australian men who were surveyed about their diet and lifestyle. The men also underwent an at-home study, to detect symptoms of sleep apnea — a nighttime breathing disorder that can cause loud snoring and daytime drowsiness.

Overall, Cao’s team found, the one-quarter of men with the highest daily fat intake were more likely to complain of daytime drowsiness than the one-quarter who ate the least fat.

The investigators found that 46 percent of the men in the group with the highest level of fat intake were habitually sleepy during the day, compared to 37 percent of the men in the lowest-intake group.

The researchers weighed a number of other factors — including body weight, exercise levels, diabetes, depression, and smoking and drinking habits. And men with the highest fat intake were still 78 percent more likely to complain of drowsiness than those with the least fat in their diets.

Men who ate the most fat also had a higher risk of sleep apnea symptoms — though that seemed to be explained by heavier body weight, the findings suggested.

In contrast, there was no clear connection between the men’s carbohydrate or protein intake and problems with daytime drowsiness.

Even though the study authors tried to account for other factors that might cause drowsiness, it’s difficult to pin the blame on one nutrient, according to Jim White, a registered dietitian and spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“There are many factors that can cause daytime sleepiness,” said White, who was not involved in the study.

“This study does show a relationship with increased fat intake and sleep,” he said. “But we have to look at people’s overall lifestyle and eating behavior, rather than pointing the finger at one macronutrient.”

While it’s unclear whether a high-fat diet drains a man’s energy, Cao said there are already reasons to be careful about fat intake.

“Keeping a light and balanced diet is always right for anyone,” she said.

White agreed on the need for balance. “The best chance of having high energy levels during the day is to incorporate a diet that consists of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and veggies, low-fat dairy and a high-quality fat intake,” he said.

“High-quality,” according to White, means unsaturated fats from sources including vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, seeds and peanut butter.

More information

The National Sleep Foundation has more on food and sleep.

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Got Unused Meds? Here’s What to Do

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — While doing your spring cleaning, don’t just toss out expired or unused prescription medications.

Unwanted drugs need to be properly disposed of to reduce the risk of abuse or accidental use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

Follow disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that came with the medicine. Don’t put medicines down the sink or flush them down the toilet unless this information specifically says to do so.

Call local law enforcement agencies to find out if your community has a medication take-back program or event. Or, ask your local trash or recycling services about medication disposal services and guidelines, the FDA suggests.

Another option is to deliver unused medicines to collectors registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). These authorized sites may be retail, clinic or hospital pharmacies, and law enforcement offices. Some have mail-back programs or drop boxes. To find an authorized site in your community, go to the DEA website or call 800-882-9539.

If the drug labeling has no disposal instructions and there is no take-back program in your area, you can throw the medicines in the garbage if you take certain precautions, the FDA said.

For starters, remove the medicines from their original containers and mix them with unpleasant materials — such as used coffee grounds, dirt or kitty litter — to make the drugs less appealing to children and pets and unrecognizable to people who may go through your trash looking for drugs.

Then put the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can or other container to prevent the medicine from leaking or spilling out of the garbage bag.

It’s also a good idea to scratch out all identifying information on the drug label to make it unreadable. This will help protect your identity and personal health information, explained the FDA’s Ilisa Bernstein.

If you have any questions about proper disposal, ask your pharmacist.

Bernstein added that the same steps can be taken for getting rid of over-the-counter drugs.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about the disposal of medicines.

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Additional Treatments Offer Little Benefit for Pancreatic Cancer: Study

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Additional treatments for locally advanced pancreatic cancer don’t appear to boost survival, a new French study reports.

Researchers looked at the effects of adding a second drug — erlotinib (Tarceva) — to the initial round of chemotherapy. They also tested whether adding radiation to a second round of chemotherapy (chemoradiotherapy) would offer any survival benefit.

Unfortunately, the addition of the second drug didn’t help people live longer, and those on chemoradiotherapy didn’t fare any better.

“Chemoradiotherapy was not superior to chemotherapy,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Pascal Hammel. Hammel is from the department of gastroenterology-pancreatology at Beaujon Hospital, in Clichy, France.

The study was funded by the pharmaceutical company Roche, the maker of Tarceva, and the French National Institute of Cancer.

More than 53,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer annually, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) says. About 42,000 Americans die each year from the disease, the NCI reports.

The new study focused on 449 people with pancreatic cancer. Their average age was just over 63.

All received standard four-month chemotherapy with the drug gemcitabine (Gemzar). Gemzar is currently used to treat a range of cancers, including pancreatic, ovarian, breast, and non-small cell lung cancers, the drug’s labeling information says. For the study, about half the patients (219) also took Tarceva along with Gemzar.

After completing initial treatment, imaging tests revealed that 269 patients appeared to have tumors that were under control. That meant their cancer was stable and didn’t appear to have spread, or metastasized.

But the tumors couldn’t be surgically removed because they had developed around the arteries surrounding the pancreas, study authors said.

About half this group of stable patients (136) received two additional months of the same chemotherapy regimen. The other half (133) was treated with a combination of radiation and the chemotherapy drug capecitabine (Xeloda).

After three years of follow-up, the researchers found that patients given Gemzar chemotherapy alone survived an average of 13.6 months. Those given the combination of Gemzar and Tarceva had an average survival of 11.9 months, the study found.

Patients treated with chemoradiotherapy lived an average of 15.2 months. Those who got chemotherapy alone lived an average of 16.5 months, the study found.

Hammel said there’s still work to be done to improve the results of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.

But for now, Dr. Deborah Schrag agreed that “the French trial demonstrates that routine addition of chemo-radiation following initial chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer does not improve survival compared to continued chemotherapy.” Schrag, chief of the Division of Population Sciences, Medical Oncology, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, wrote an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal.

“[And] given the burdens of daily radiation therapy, there is no routine role for the application of this treatment strategy,” added Schrag.

Schrag said it’s possible there might be a certain group of pancreatic cancer patients who could get some measurable benefit from radiation. “Further evaluation of the tumor samples from the study participants might help to more precisely determine who might benefit from radiation, and such data are eagerly awaited,” she said.

More information

There’s more on pancreatic cancer at U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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Radon in the Home May Be Linked to Blood Cancers in Women

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests a strong link between exposure to high levels of radon in the home and women’s risk of blood cancers.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. It’s known to cause lung cancer and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, the researchers said.

The American Cancer Society collected information over 19 years on more than 140,000 Americans as part of a prevention study. During that time, just over 3,000 cases of blood cancer were diagnosed. The cancers included leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, the study found.

Women who lived in counties with the highest radon levels were 63 percent more likely to develop blood cancers than those in counties with the lowest radon levels. There was no link seen among men, the study noted.

The study was published online recently in the journal Environmental Research.

“The overall lifetime risk of hematological [blood] cancers in the United States is about 2 percent, so even a 60 percent relative increase would still mean a relatively small absolute risk,” study leader Lauren Teras, American Cancer Society, said in a journal news release.

It’s also important to note that the study was only designed to show an association, and not a cause-and-effect link.

“Nonetheless, radon is already associated with lung cancer, and if other studies confirm the link to blood cancers, we think it would warrant strengthened public health efforts to mitigate residential radon risks,” Teras added.

The study authors said further research is needed to learn more about the link between radon and blood cancers, and whether women actually have a higher risk than men.

In 2016, it’s expected there will be more than 171,000 new U.S. cases of blood cancers and more than 58,000 deaths from these cancers, the researchers said.

More information

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more about radon.

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Parents and Social Media: Do as I Say, Not as I Do

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite concerns about their children’s use of social and other media, many parents may set a less-than-ideal example by spending a lot of time using the technology themselves, British researchers report.

The study included 107 parents of children who were age 5 and older. The researchers asked them how much time they and their children spend using technology, watching television, listening to music, playing video games and social networking.

Both parents and children spend a lot of time doing those activities, the study showed. There was a strong association between the amount of time parents did these things and how much their children did them.

Yet two-thirds of the parents said they were concerned about their children’s use of social and other types of media, the researchers said.

“Our findings suggest parents are worried about their children’s use of technology, which makes it interesting that their own use of it has so much influence on their children,” said study author Judith Ramsay, from Manchester Metropolitan University.

“We need to raise parental awareness of the strong effect they have and this influence must also be taken into account by professionals developing policies that promote safe use of the internet for children,” she said in a university news release.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the British Psychological Society, in Nottingham. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on social media and children.

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For ADHD, Start With Behavior Therapy, Not Drugs: CDC

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Behavior modification therapy is preferable to drugs for treating children 2 to 5 years old who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, U.S. health officials say.

“Behavior therapy has been shown to help improve symptoms in young children with ADHD and can be as effective as medicine, but without the side effects,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Research has shown that the benefits of behavior therapy can last for years,” she said Tuesday during a midday media briefing.

Medicines such as Ritalin are appropriate for some children, Schuchat said. But behavior therapy doesn’t have the side effects such as stomach aches, irritability, appetite loss and sleep problems often associated with ADHD medications, she said.

Also, the effects of long-term use of ADHD medications by young children are still unknown, she added.

Because of this, the CDC is “encouraging pediatricians and other health care providers to work with families to make sure children with ADHD are receiving the most appropriate treatment,” Schuchat said. This should include a discussion about behavior therapy as a first step, she said.

ADHD causes hyperactivity, impulsiveness and attention problems. About 2 million of the more than 6 million American children with ADHD were diagnosed before age 6. Young children with ADHD tend to have the most severe symptoms and benefit from early treatment, according to the CDC Vital Signs report released May 3.

In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommended that before giving medicine to a young child, parents should be referred for training in behavior therapy.

But according to the new CDC report, about 75 percent of young children being treated for ADHD are started on drugs, and only about half get any type of psychological services, including behavior therapy.

In eight or more behavioral training sessions, a therapist teaches parents how to encourage positive behavior while strengthening the bond with the child, according to the CDC.

Brandon Korman, chief of neuropsychology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, in Miami, agrees with the report. “I am a big proponent of behavioral training,” he said.

“The therapy provides a structure for kids who have problems concentrating, staying focused, organizing their world and planning ahead,” he said.

Some parents would rather give their child drugs to solve the problem, Korman said. But “when parents can not only learn to deal with their children’s behavior but also be a conduit to improving behavior… that’s the best way to go,” he said.

Improved behavior, self-control and self-esteem can help kids at school, at home and in relationships, the CDC said. While learning and practicing these skills requires more effort than opening a pill bottle, the lasting benefits make this approach a worthwhile investment, the agency said.

Key skills emphasize:

• Positive communication: Parents learn to give children their full attention and reflect their words back to them. This shows you’re listening and care about what they say.
• Positive reinforcement: Praise for doing something right helps kids behave the same way again.
• Structure and discipline: Children do better when their world is predictable. Establishing routines and schedules helps the child know what to expect each day. And responding to the child’s behavior the same way each time fosters faster learning.

Behavioral training is not available everywhere, or covered by all insurance plans, Schuchat said. However, some centers base their fees on income or offer group sessions, which are less costly than individual sessions, she said.

For the report, CDC researchers looked at annual health care claims starting in 2008 for at least 5 million young children (2 to 5 years old) insured by Medicaid and another 1 million young children with employer-sponsored insurance.

Overall, a little more than 75 percent of young children received ADHD medicine. Only 54 percent of kids with Medicaid and 45 percent of kids with employer insurance received any type of psychological services, which might have included parent training. The number of children with ADHD receiving psychological services has not changed over time, the agency said.

“Parents aren’t the cause of their child’s ADHD, but they can play an important role in treatment,” Schuchat said.

More information

For more about ADHD, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Why The Biggest Loser Contestants Gain Back the Weight

Photo: Getty Images

It’s an unfortunate truth that many people who lose a significant amount of weight will gain it back. But a new study of contestants of the popular reality show The Biggest Loser suggests that a slowed metabolism—not a lack of willpower—is largely to blame.

In new research to be published in the journal Obesity, researchers followed contestants from The Biggest Loser season 8 for six years to see what happened to them after they lost so much weight, the New York Times reports. Led by Kevin Hall, a scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the researchers found that people’s resting metabolism—how many calories they burn when they’re at rest—changes dramatically after weight loss.

The men and women had normal metabolisms for their weight when they were obese, the Times reports. However, once they dropped a massive amount of weight, their resting metabolisms slowed so significantly that they were not burning enough calories to maintain their new size. This is a normal reaction to weight loss; what was surprising was that as time passed and the people gained back weight, their metabolisms continued to slow, making the process harder.

The winner of season 8, Danny Cahill, lost nearly 240 pounds in less than a year. Since then, he’s gained back 100 pounds, the Times reports. But the findings may also apply to people who lose less.

The new study adds to a growing body of research aimed at understanding why it’s so difficult for people to lose weight, and why some are more successful than others. Other recent studies have suggested that people’s bodies respond dramatically differently to the same foods. In the future, weight loss advice may need to be more personalized, some experts suggest.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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Could Infant Colds, Other Infections Raise Type 1 Diabetes Risk?

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Colds and other infections in the first six months of life may boost the odds of a child developing type 1 diabetes by nearly 20 percent, new research suggests.

The suspicion that infections play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes isn’t new. Experts have long suspected that viral infections may trigger the disease.

“This study really just bolsters the idea of early life events being crucial for the development of the immune system,” said Jessica Dunne, director of discovery research for JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). JDRF provided some of the funding for the new study.

“But the jury is still out,” she added. And the study authors themselves noted that their study can’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

It also isn’t clear exactly how such infections might play a role in type 1 diabetes.

“Various mechanisms have been discussed to explain how infectious diseases might induce [an autoimmune response] in type 1 diabetes,” said the study’s lead author, Andreas Beyerlein from the Institute of Diabetes Research in Munich, Germany.

Animal studies have indicated that different viruses can affect the beta cells in the pancreas in more than one way. For example, Beyerlein said, some viruses appear to cause the cells to break down. Others may cause immune system cells to mistakenly attack the beta cells, sensing them as foreign invaders instead of healthy tissue.

However the destruction might occur, the end result is that people with type 1 diabetes are left with too few healthy beta cells to produce enough insulin to survive.

Insulin is a crucial hormone involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates. It allows the glucose (sugar) from those carbohydrates to fuel the cells in the body and brain. Without enough insulin, a person will die. That’s why people with type 1 diabetes must take multiple daily injections of insulin, or use an insulin pump. The pump is a small device worn externally that delivers insulin through a catheter inserted under the skin.

The new study included information from claims data on infants born between 2005 and 2007 in Germany. The database used covers approximately 85 percent of the German population, the study authors said.

During that time, almost 300,000 babies were born. Over a follow-up period of about 8.5 years, 720 children developed type 1 diabetes, the study found.

Nearly all — 93 percent — of the children had at least one infection in their first two years of life, as did 97 percent of those who developed type 1 diabetes, the study showed.

Infections were broken down by category (respiratory tract, stomach, skin and eye) and causes, such as viral or bacterial.

Children who had a respiratory infection during the first six months of life had 17 percent higher odds of getting type 1 diabetes later. Those who had a viral infection in the first six months had a 19 percent higher risk of type 1 compared to kids who didn’t have a viral infection early in life, the study reported.

“It could be that the viruses are somehow miseducating the immune system,” Dunne said.

Viruses cause most common colds and upper respiratory infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Until the results of longer-term, more in-depth studies are in, there’s not a lot of specific advice for parents. Dunne said one such study — the TEDDY (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young) study — screened thousands of kids at birth worldwide and the goal is to follow their health for 15 years. About eight years have been completed now, she said.

“Kids get a lot of infections early in life, and the flip side of this suggests that getting those infections may be critical for developing a healthy immune system. So, there’s a fine balance, but we’re too early to understand what the balance is, and we need to stop short of having kids live in a bubble,” Dunne said.

Beyerlein agreed. “The pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes is still not well understood. So there is no established prevention strategy.”

Beyerlein added that because there’s no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes, parents of children who already have the disease shouldn’t blame themselves because they couldn’t have done anything to stop it.

Findings from the study were published May 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More information

Learn more about type 1 diabetes from the American Diabetes Association.

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