Nutrition News

3 Tips for Supporting Your Child's Immunity During Flu Season

When your family is cooped up inside, keeping your kids healthy and happy can seem like a challenge. Factor in the constraints of a pandemic, and life can seem even more complicated. That's where a trusted health and well-being strategy comes in. An immune- supporting plan can help keep your family strong and safe (and sane) throughout this year's flu season.

Ask the Expert: Which Foods Support Immunity?

In this series, our experts answer nutrition questions to help you nourish your best life at every age. To submit a question for consideration*, email us. 

Decoding Your Child's Growth Chart

Pediatricians have several different tools they can use to measure your child's health. One of the most powerful among them is the growth chart. Sometimes, it can be difficult to make sense of all those lines and numbers — if you've felt this before, you're not alone. Here's some valuable insight into how to decode and better understand your child's chart. A Window Into Your Child's Health The growth chart might seem like just another piece of paper, but it's packed with several important insights. On the surface, it can look like these charts are simply about height and weight; however, growth is an indicator of many aspects of your child's health and well-being, such as cognitive development, immunity and nutrition status. One Size Doesn't Fit All The growth chart uses a set of measurements, called percentiles, to compare your child's weight, height and head size (in the case of infants) to those of other children of the same age and sex. The higher the percentile, the larger a child is compared to their peers. Conversely, the lower the percentile, the smaller the child. For example, if your child is in the 75th percentile for height, that means they are taller than 75% of kids their age. Kids of  average height for their age based on WHO Child growth standards would measure in the 50th percentile. It's natural to assume bigger is better, but that's not necessarily the case. Many factors influence a child's size, including genetics, diet, and even their environment. Instead of focusing on a specific goal, pediatricians are far more interested in each child's individual growth trend. For instance, a child who has consistently been in the 30th percentile for height or weight might be experiencing perfectly healthy growth; however, if that number were to suddenly drop to the 15th percentile or below, further investigation might make sense. Adding Up the Numbers Because children experience different rates of growth according to their age, there are two basic types of growth charts. The first is designed for newborns and babies up to age 2, while the other is for kids and young adults between the ages of 2 and 20. At every wellness visit, your pediatrician will measure your child's height and weight to keep close tabs on their growth trend. Then, they'll plot these figures on the chart. You don't have to wait until your child's next appointment to learn the results. You can download the same charts they use and plot the results yourself. 

Dedication & Resilience: 2020 is The Year of the Parent

2020 is the year of the working parent.  In many ways, the impact of COVID-19 forced parents into a new reality. Juggling children, working from home, trying to find childcare and ensuring e-learning has challenged families like never before. And while a global pandemic has pushed working parents' challenges to new heights, something else has bubbled up. Support. Parents are supporting each other. Communities are supporting parents.  Businesses are supporting parents. Companies have had to lean into flexibility in order to support parents more than ever before. National Working Parent’s Day This year, Abbott, makers of Similac, support working parents on this day because we know that the demands on them have been extraordinary, and still they’ve persevered and triumphed under very challenging environmental factors and nearly impossible everyday circumstances. Similac created the Promises Project to develop supportive communities that share positivity and help parents stay connected, which is more important than ever. The program communicates common struggles parents take on daily – whether juggling childcare, working from home and homeschooling, or simply feeling judged for decisions we make as parents – the Promises Project reminds all parents to encourage and lift each other up.

Minding Our Muscles for Immune Health

Our immune system is always at work, protecting against unwanted microbes or infections. And while our immune system is always operating, it is not usually top of mind unless one is sick or trying to avoid a virus. Following good-health guidelines – like eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly and getting adequate sleep – are natural ways to keep the immune system strong and healthy. But should we also be considering our muscle health when thinking about our immunity?

7 Nutrients to Support Immune Health

Staying healthy in the face of a global pandemic is top of mind for most of us. But how do we do it? The key: Focus on the immune system. It's the body's defense against illness. When it's working well, the immune system can help protect against infections. Including essential nutrients as part of a well-balanced diet can improve your overall nutrient intake to support and maintain immune health. 

How Targeted Nutrition Gives Airmen a Mental, Physical Edge

Nutrition has long been linked to better performance, whether it's propelling athletes toward big victories or helping students ace important tests. But more recently, experts have begun to wonder whether certain nutrients could impact performance in specific ways. As part of an ongoing collaboration between Abbott, the University of Illinois, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, a new study set out to answer this question by examining nutrition's impact on the performance of men and women in the U.S. Air About the Study Researchers divided 148 men and women of the U.S. Air Force into two groups. For 12 weeks, one group did a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routine, while the other performed the same exercise regimen while adding a targeted nutrition supplement to their diets. The group that combined exercise with this twice-a-day supplement saw better improvements in key mental and physical performance areas, including problem-solving and reaction time than the group that relied on exercise alone. Over and above the impact of HIIT, the group consuming the high-protein nutritional drink containing lutein, omega-3 fatty acid DHA, phospholipids and Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) displayed.

Abbott Scientists Rachael Buck and Ricardo Rueda-Cabrera Inducted into AIMBE's 2020 College of Fellows

Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.” Two of Abbott’s top medical nutrition researchers have spent their careers questioning, and because of that innate curiosity, they have made major contributions to their field –creating widespread impact on the scientific community and in the field of medical nutrition.