As more teens become overweight, instances of severe liver damage are also on the rise.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease now affects two to five percent of all American children over five years, according to a study from the American Liver Foundation. As many as half of all obese children have the condition, which can progress to life-threatening cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Many of today's teens will someday need liver transplants.

Children with belly fat and obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, heart problems and high cholesterol are more likely to have fatty liver diseases, which can be detected by a simple blood test.

Labels: fatty-foods, health_risks, liver_damage

Annually, over five million children suffer with ear infections. A new study has found that childhood ear infections could damage taste nerves and increase the risk for obesity.

"When ear infection pathogens damage the main sensory taste nerve it can intensify sensations produced by fatty foods. This heightens the preference for those foods and can lead to weight gain, [Linda] Bartoshuk said."

University of Florida researchers found that children who had had ear infections were 14 percent more likely to enjoy sweet foods than those without ear infections. They also like high-fat foods 18 percent more than those without ear infections. Source: MediLexicon

Labels: ear-infections, fatty-foods, side-effects