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Peppermint oil has been used for thousands of years to help with digestion. It can relax certain muscles in the intestine, affect the speed at which food moves through the gut and can affect different types of intestinal bacteria. Roughly 10% of both school-aged children and adults experience recurring abdominal (belly) pain, making it important to understand how peppermint oil might work in younger populations. Researchers at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at 91������Ƶ organized a study to find how children with belly pain metabolized peppermint oil at different dose levels and how those doses affect intestinal function. 

“Previous studies, primarily done in adults, show that there is some benefit to using peppermint oil to relieve some types of belly pain. However, few studies in kids have been done to try to understand what dose of peppermint oil should be used and how it might impact the function of the intestine in children,” said Dr. Robert Shulman, professor of pediatric nutrition at Baylor and lead author of the paper. 

Belly pain in children can result from multiple factors including the intestines being overly sensitive or hypersensitive, an abnormal intestinal bacterial profile or a sensitivity to certain foods. While peppermint oil is believed to influence some of these pathways, the purpose of the study was not to test whether peppermint oil reduces symptoms. Instead, the team focused on how children absorb and break down menthol, the active ingredient of peppermint oil, and how different doses affect intestinal movement. 

The research team wanted to find the maximum dose to give children without overloading their ability to absorb menthol. The researchers gave different amounts of peppermint oil to the children to follow the children’s metabolism, while also studying how peppermint impacted the movement of food through the intestines; this was done by measuring intestinal movement and contraction. 

“We found that the higher doses of peppermint oil we tested did impact the rate at which food moved through the intestine, and these doses also appeared to relax parts of the intestine,” Shulman said. 

The dose that impacted intestinal function the most without overloading the body’s ability to process the menthol was 900 mg of peppermint oil per day, divided into five doses. In the study, children took a peppermint capsule with meals and snacks: breakfast, lunch, afterschool snack, dinner and at bedtime. This dose was for research purposes only, not a clinical recommendation. 

Shulman and the team hope to do a large, multicenter clinical trial now that the appropriate dose has been determined. A randomized trial would place kids into a peppermint oil or placebo group to determine whether peppermint oil actually helps reduce belly pain in children. 

“A multicenter trial would help us recruit a large number of kids, which will give us a better possibility of detecting a peppermint effect,” Shulman said. “Another benefit of a large trial is that it would provide a broader demographic, which would improve our ability to determine how effective peppermint is in a ‘real world’ setting—that is, outside of a clinical trial. That would make the results more universally applicable.” 

By Homa Warren, senior communications associate at 91������Ƶ 

What young children eat can affect their health for years to come. To learn more about what shapes these eating habits, Dr. Sheryl Hughes, investigator at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at 91������Ƶ and her colleagues how food parenting, defined as specific practices parents use to shape their children’s eating habits, and family mealtime routines influence the diets of preschool-aged children in Hispanic families. 

The researchers wanted to find out which parents’ routines strongly influenced their children to eat healthy foods, like vegetables and whole grains, and which routines discouraged eating unhealthy foods, like sugary drinks and fatty snacks. To do this, the team asked 253 Hispanic mothers of children ages 3 to 6, about how they tried to shape their children’s eating habits, how often their families ate meals together, and what their children typically ate. 

Some of the most influential food parenting practices were to have regular meals and snack times, to serve measured portions that are appropriate for the child’s age, and to monitor what children eat. Children whose parents reported these practices were more likely to eat vegetables and whole grains and less likely to consume sugary drinks. On the other hand, pressuring children to eat or using food as a reward was linked to unhealthy eating. 

Parents who kept kids from eating candy, ice cream, and junk food had children who ate less of both healthy and unhealthy foods. Experts know that limiting foods can hurt kids’ health because of the ‘forbidden fruit’ effect. This happens when people want something more just because they can’t have it. When certain foods are off-limits, kids are more likely to eat them and become overweight or obese over time. 

Surprisingly, regularly eating dinner together as a family had little influence on children’s diets. This goes against the belief that eating meals as a family often leads to healthier eating. These findings suggest that how parents feed their children may be more important than how often they eat together. 

Based on the study’s findings, here are some practical tips for parents: 

• Stick to a routine: Serve meals and snacks at consistent times. 
• Watch portions: Offer measured servings of food according to the child’s age to help children learn appropriate amounts. 
• Monitor intake: Pay attention to what and how much your child eats. • Avoid pressure: Don’t pressure children to eat or use food as a reward.
• Encourage exploration: Gently introduce new foods without coercion. 

By Ana María Rodríguez, Ph.D., lead science writer at 91������Ƶ

Type 1 diabetes, an endocrine disease, affects about in the U.S. The management of it is an ongoing and intensive responsibility. Parents and families of children with type 1 diabetes carry out demanding tasks several times a day such as checking blood glucose levels, administering insulin through a pump or injection, deciding what their child eats, overseeing physical activity and more. 

Due to this, researchers at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Center (CNRC) at 91������Ƶ and Texas Children’s Hospital sought to learn about the emotional support parents of children with type 1 diabetes receive and how they would like to be supported. 

“The need to continually perform these tasks, combined with their importance to the child’s health, may affect a parent’s stress level and their ability to routinely conduct diabetes-related tasks,” said professor of pediatric nutrition at the CNRC, Dr. Deborah Thompson. 

“One of the things we hear a lot is that many parents have a really hard time. They feel exhausted and worried about the well-being of their child with diabetes,” said Dr. Marisa Hilliard, professor of pediatric psychology at Baylor and principal investigator of this study. “We wanted to more fully understand this experience to be able to help parents and develop resources and interventions to support them. We needed to know what their experiences are, what they want or what they prefer.” 

There also is a financial aspect. “There are a lot of costs associated with managing diabetes. Insulin is very expensive. The devices are very expensive. The costs can all add up,” Hilliard said. 

Studying 23 parents of children with type 1 diabetes from different demographics, researchers found that many parents look to others, such as close family and other resources, like their healthcare providers, for emotional support. 

“Healthcare providers can offer validation as a form of emotional support. They can also notice when parents have unmet support needs and can help them get resources, whether referring them for mental healthcare or telling them about community resources,” Hilliard said. 

She adds that some families also look to their child’s school or feel supported by the school nurse, and many families go online for emotional support and information about the disease. 

“Emotional support does not require deep knowledge or familiarity with managing the child’s diabetes. Some parents told us they felt really emotionally supported when someone offered to pick up prescriptions or pick up or make dinner if they are too busy,” Hilliard said. 

“This study suggests that emotional support from a variety of sources is important for parents of children with type 1 diabetes,” Thompson said. 

Researchers plan to use this information to refine the types of interventions needed to help families manage the challenges of caring for children with this complex condition. 

Type 1 diabetes resources for families: 

By Taylor Barnes, senior communications associate at 91������Ƶ  

• How Dads Influence Their Children’s Food and Exercise Habits At Home
• Researchers One Step Closer To Developing Better Treatments For Obesity, Diabetes
• CNRC Welcomes New Director Dr. David B. Allison

• Flash TV 3.0: New Tool Tracks Children’s TV Viewing Habits
• Researchers Find A Way To Improve Diabetes Diagnosis, Predict Disease Progression In Children
• Researchers Develop New Equations To Better Calculate Children’s Caloric Needs

• Is Fiber The Answer To Solving Stomach Pain?
• The Changing Face Of Hunger For Families In The U.S.
• More Is Not Always Better — Folate Requirements May Differ By Life Stage
• CNRC Researcher Elected To National Academy Of Medicine

• How Genes Contribute To Obesity
• New Non-invasive Skin Scan May Quickly Assess Babies’ Fruit And Vegetable Intake
• Bedtime Sleep Routines Associated  With Healthier Weight Gain In Children

• Parental Struggles Surrounding Care Of Children With Obesity
• Ensuring Your Child’s Packed Lunch Is A Balanced Meal
• Serendipitous Finding May Give Plants An Edge Against Flooding

• Healthier Sleep Habits Could Be the Key to Reducing Your Child’s Summer Weight Gain
• Multisite Pain Among Children with Chronic Abdominal Pain Disorders
• Overactive Brain Circuit Causes Anorexia in Animal Model
• Family-focused Obesity Prevention Program Targets Hispanic Parents and Children

• 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Obesity prevention among Hispanic fathers and children
• Study examines link between sleep and obesity in children

Volume 2, 2020

• Understanding Children’s Growth Patterns During The School Year And Summertime
• Scientists Create ‘Epigenetic Couch Potato’ Mouse
• The Role Of Parental Perception Of Child’s Weight

Volume 1, 2020 

• Shaping Your Child’s Eating Habits
• Study Highlights Importance of Pre- and Postnatal Nutrition
• DNA Could Help Diagnose Birth Defects Caused by Maternal Diabetes

• Researchers Examine Obstacles To, And Motivation For, Physical Activity Among Adults And Children
• Study Helps Determine Best Feeding Method For Low-birth Weight Newborns
• Study: Adding Milk Powder To A School Meal Increases Cognitive Test Scores In Ghanaian Children

Volume 1, 2019

• Study Digs Deeper In To Mobile Health To Help Prevent Obesity
• Regulating Asprosin Levels Might Help Control Appetite, Weight
• Iron Deficiency Study

Volume 2, 2018

• Research Offers Information On Role Vitamin D Plays In Type 2 Diabetes
• Noninvasive Device To Estimate Fruit And Veggie Intake Can Be Important Research Tool
• Study Shows That Parents Use Many Strategies To Encourage And Discourage Their Children's Physical Activity

Volume 1, 2018

• Study Examines Association Between Sleep And Weight In U.S. Preschoolers
• A Tale Of Two Fats
• Researchers Work On Developing Tomatoes That Withstand Harsh Conditions
• Peer Mentors Can Effectively Enhance School-based Obesity Intervention