In a study of more than 5,000 mothers and their children, exposure to air pollution during the three months before pregnancy predicted higher child body mass index (BMI) and related obesity risk factors up to two years of age. In one of the largest studies to date of preconception environmental exposures, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Duke University and Fudan University in Shanghai, China studied 5,834 mother-child pairs recruited from maternity clinics in Shanghai. They found that greater exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ before pregnancy was linked to increases in BMI or BMIZ, a standardized score that shows how a child’s BMI compares to others of the same age and sex. The findings imply that the three months before conception are important, and that people who plan to bear children should consider taking measures to lower their air pollution exposure to reduce their children’s risk for obesity.

Cambridge University researchers are leading the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use.

Regular aerobic exercise could significantly reduce disease markers associated with Alzheimer’s, new research led by scientists at the University of Bristol (UK) and the Federal University of São Paulo (Brazil) has found. The findings provide new hope in the battle against this devastating disorder.

University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist Hang Xiao is tackling a new challenge in his ongoing aim to develop tasty, nutritious and sustainable plant-based alternatives to animal meat.