Columbus: A new study shows that teenagers can be persuaded to cut back on sugary soft drinks – especially with a little help from their friends.

Washington: Fast food giants attempts at depicting healthier kids’ meals frequently goes unnoticed by children ages three to seven years old according to a new study by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

Maywood: Under new guidelines from the Institute of Medicine, the estimated number of children who are at risk for having insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D is drastically reduced from previous estimates, according to a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study.

La jolla: A team of scientists, led by Stuart Lipton professor recently discovered why cerebellar granule cell neurons in patients suffering from ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) were unable to repair DNA damage and thus died.

Durham: Two new studies from the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center suggest that concerns about teen sexting may be overblown.

Birmingham: A low-carbohydrate diet may help prepubescent girls avoid some risks associated with obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Los Angeles: Given the obesity epidemic among the young, one would hope that children’s hospitals would serve as a role model for healthy eating. But hospitals in California fall short, with only seven percent of entrees classified as “healthy” according to a new study published in Academic Pediatrics.

Washington: Childhood abuse or neglect can lead to long-term hormone impairment that raises the risk of developing obesity, diabetes or other metabolic disorders in adulthood, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Washington: Children who show early signs of problem behavior are more likely to have thought of killing or harming themselves, suggests new research in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Iowa: As parents, we’ve all been there: Watching our children teeter on a chair, leap from the sofa, or careen about the playground, fearing the worst.