Faculty and doctoral students at Penn Nursing are at the forefront of advancing human milk feeding through a series of research studies, featured in the current issue of MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. The issue, edited by Penn Nursing's Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, FAWHONN, the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition and Professor of Perinatal Nursing in the Department of Family and Community Health, highlights articles showcasing critical strategies to enhance lactation care and improve outcomes for families.

When a cheeseburger costs less than a punnet of strawberries, it’s clear the odds are stacked against healthy choices – especially for teenagers. Now, new research from the University of South Australia shows that it’s not just unhealthy eating habits affecting teens, but an alarming clustering of poor lifestyle choices that’s putting the majority of teenagers at serious risk of preventable diseases later in life.

People in the UK eat a median of eight different plants a day – including spices and fat-based oils – with some eating just two daily.

Consuming caffeine before exercise may increase physiological strain, including hyperventilation and decreased cerebral blood flow, under the heat. However, researchers at University of Tsukuba found that consuming caffeine during exercise may enhance performance in the latter stages of prolonged exercise in the heat without worsening physiological strain.

University of Adelaide researchers have discovered that applying a beneficial fungus to soil leads to some varieties of wheat accumulating more bioavailable zinc and iron in the grain.

In a breakthrough that reimagines the way the gut and brain communication, researchers have uncovered what they call a “neurobiotic sense,” a newly identified system that lets the brain respond in real time to signals from microbes living in our gut.