Did you know that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of heart disease in your babys future? According to recent research, breastfed babies are calmer, gain less weight as they grow -- preventing obesity -- and experience lower blood pressure and cholesterol as adults -- all of which are protective against heart disease.

Researchers were also curious whether breastfeeding would raise a childs IQ, although their results show little connection. However, I would be willing to bet that breastfeeding a baby -- which fosters a certain loving attachment that is not quite the same as bottle-feeding -- would potentially raise a childs level of emotional intelligence. In this day and age, who couldn't use just a little more of that?

To maintain healthy heart function, it is important for adolescents to be ward off weight gain in the transition to adulthood. A recent study reports that adolescents who put on excess weight throughout their teen and early adult years are more likely to develop specific conditions, such as metabolic syndrome -- a precursor to heart disease -- by the time they turn 27.

Those teens who gained the most weight during the course of the study also experienced the largest increase in mass of the left ventricle of the heart -- its main pumping chamber -- a symptom that can lead to heart disease and failure, as well as stroke. Researchers remark that this evidence is more proof that strategies to prevent excess weight gain during adolescent years, such as adequate amounts of exercise and healthy eating habits, are necessary to prevent the onset of early adult heart problems.

This summer, tens of thousands of British children will fight obesity and prevent future heart disease by exercising in mini gyms. Filled with child-sized workout machines such as treadmills, weight lifting machines and exercise bikes, mini gyms provide kids with a fun active alternative to their daily average of four hours in front of the TV or computer.

Fifteen percent of children age 2 to 11 in Britain are obese, with another 15 percent overweight. Kids aged 5 and older are attracted to the mini gyms for their grown-up feel, and the opportunity to learn new exercises with their friends. The mini gyms are a non-competitive environment -- a positive aspect that helps obese and overweight children feel comfortable exercising with other kids. Nutrition advice and education are also offered by mini gym staff. The mini gyms popularity is spreading across the globe, with child-sized gyms opening in Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Some adults object to gyms targeted at children -- for fear it will instill narcissism and non-cooperative behavior in children exercising in a mirrored environment. Another argument is that it will create a new wave of body image issues in young girls. Mini gym staff took notice recently as a group of girls around age 10 began weighing themselves obsessively. The weight scales found in the corner of the mini gym were subsequently removed.

Life-long survivors of childhood cancers have the benefit of celebrating their success in winning the battle -- however, a new Dutch study found that many who had undergone treatment in their youth experienced the development of heart abnormalities in their 30s and 40s.

The cancer treatment in question are chemotherapy drugs called anthracyclines, which have contributed to the current 80 percent long-term survival rate of children with cancer. Anthracyclines appear to damage heart muscle cells, and continue to do so even after treatment has stopped. The most commonly developed heart problems are diastolic dysfunction, when the left heart chambers don't ever fully relax -- followed by systolic dysfunction, when the left chambers fail to pump correctly. It is estimated that cancer survivors who undertook these treatments are eight times more likely to develop these heart dysfunctions.

According to the researchers, some childhood cancer patients are currently receiving lower doses of anthracyclines accompanied by heart protective medication. It is recommended that these cancer surviving patients follow a more heart healthy lifestyle, and that their doctors be on the alert for the more subtle signs of heart problems.

Heavy drinking can lead to a myriad of other unhealthy behaviors, all of which add up to eventual heart disease. A new study finds that those who begin drinking before age 14 are much more likely to struggle with alcohol dependence later in life than people who abstain until age 21. Early drinkers also develop alcohol dependence faster.

Researchers surveyed over 43,000 adults, and found that 47 percent of those that began drinking before age 14 showed alcoholic symptoms within 10 years. Only 4 percent of those that began drinking at age 21 showed these same symptoms-- and the same percentage of these people were completely alcohol dependent. Of those who began drinking before age 14, twenty-seven percent were completely alcohol dependent before age 25. Researchers found inter-related factors to the early drinkers alcohol dependence, such as childhood anti-social behavior and a family history of alcoholism. They also stressed the importance of family doctors routinely inquiring about the youngsters drinking habits in order to provide effective intervention.