More than 60 percent of kids consume caffeine on a given day, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC also found that the older kids got, the more caffeine they consumed.

For younger kids, sweet bakery products were the most common source of caffeine, followed by flavored milk, candy and soda. For older kids, soda was the most common source, followed by tea and coffee.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids less than 12 consume no caffeine at all. For those more than 12, the recommended limit is 100 milligrams per day, which is about one cup of coffee.

Doctors warn that energy drinks often contain much higher doses of caffeine along with a lot of added sugar. That combination can lead to sleep issues, dehydration, and, at higher doses, more serious outcomes like panic attacks and seizures.

Over the past few years, both emergency rooms and poison centers have seen an increase in kids overdosing on caffeine, which leads to thousands of ER visits among kids every year.

Doctors say parents should always read the label and keep energy drinks away from kids entirely.

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BATON ROUGE — Louisiana has 100 recorded cases of cyclosporiasis this year, data released by the state health department Wednesday shows. 

According to Louisiana Department of Health data, the number of hospitalizations for the parasite, six, has not changed since last week's statistics.  

No one has died from the infection since the start of this year's "season" for the parasite, which is known to cause diarrhea, cramps and discomfort, LDH noted.

Last week, a total of 79 people were infected with cyclosporiasis in Louisiana. 

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CLEVELAND — A Cleveland Clinic doctor reminds you to protect your health during extreme heat this summer.

Family medicine doctor Neha Vyas with the Cleveland Clinic says the sun causes dehydration and forces the body to work harder overall.

"The sun causes us to be more dehydrated and when we are dehydrated, our body uses more energy," Vyas said. "It's also true that when we're out in the sun, our body has to work harder. Our metabolism works more."

Extra effort the body puts in to stay cool is the main reason people feel sluggish in the heat. Sunburn can also drain energy since the body needs to work harder to repair damaged skin.

Doctors recommend wearing sunscreen, taking breaks especially during midday when the sun is strongest, drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol because it can make dehydration and fatigue worse.

Vyas said there are warning signs that go beyond normal tiredness.

"The warning signs that you're getting too much sun exposure are dizziness, fatigue, nausea and in rare cases, it can proceed to confusion and even seizures," Vyas said.

Anyone experiencing those symptoms should seek medical care immediately.

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BATON ROUGE — Brain disease is being called a massive hidden epidemic and researchers are working to better understand it before lasting damage sets in.

The Cleveland Clinic Brain Study was launched in 2022 with healthy volunteers who will be examined over the next 20 years. Researchers are analyzing blood samples, MRIs and retina scans.

Co-principal investigator Dr. Imad Najm said the goal is to get ahead of the problem. "So, we can start to understand why and identify targets for diagnosis and treatment of these diseases," Najm said.

In the U.S., more than 600 neurological diseases and disorders are currently being researched. That list includes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke and epilepsy.

"We are able to treat the symptoms, the manifestations of the disease, but we are not able to stop the disease," Najm said.

The study comes as researchers acknowledge there is still a great deal to learn about the brain and the disorders that affect it.

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BATON ROUGE — Six people have now been hospitalized with cyclosporiasis infections across Louisiana, data released Tuesday by the Louisiana Department of Health says. 

The six hospitalizations represent an increase from last week's five. A total of 68 people have been infected thus far, up from last week's 55.

Over the last five years, the state usually sees an average of 35 cases between May and August, the typical "season" for the parasite.

No one has died from the infection, which causes weeks of diarrhea, cramps and discomfort, LDH added.

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BATON ROUGE — This weekend, United Believers Baptist Church, Ochsner Baton Rouge and Southern University are hosting a public health expo where families can get free health checks and screenings. 

The Family Care and Health Expo, held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is a no-cost event at the church’s fellowship hall at 8837 Greenwell Springs Road.

The event aims to improve healthcare access and healthy outcomes for Louisiana families. 

At the event, there will be several services available for free, including: 

- Blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and body mass index screenings
- Lung cancer risk assessments
- Manual breast exams by an Ochsner clinician
- Mental health awareness education
- HIV testing
- Hearing screenings
- CPR education
- Complimentary haircuts
- Back-to-school supplies
- Children and family activities

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BATON ROUGE — In a few weeks, student-athletes across the Capital Region will be returning to both the classroom and the locker room. 

It's important for some of these athletes to get a physical leading up to the start of the school year, James Edelman, the Supervisor of the Ochsner Andrews Athletic Training Program, told 2une In's April Davis on Monday.

Edelman also advised student-athletes to try to stay hydrated and cool over the next several weeks, with feels-like temperatures getting up to around 110 degrees. 

"It really starts days before, when you're talking about athletic competitions," Edelman said, adding that electrolytes are another important part of preparing to fight the heat while staying active.

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Cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic intestinal illness, are climbing, and doctors are now being asked to watch for patients showing certain symptoms.

The main symptom to look out for is long-lasting diarrhea. Others include cramping, bloating and a loss of appetite.

Anyone experiencing those symptoms can call a doctor and get tested. A doctor may prescribe antibiotic medication that can shorten the duration and severity of the illness.

Without treatment, the illness can last anywhere from a few days to more than a month.

Federal officials have not yet confirmed a source of the outbreak but are urging consumers to practice caution in the meantime. Past outbreaks have been linked to bagged salad, cilantro, basil and berries.

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A new study suggests AI models can imitate human emotional patterns when given emotion-based prompts.

Researchers at TU Dresden University of Technology tested several large language models, which are computer programs like ChatGPT that are trained to generate human-like responses.

They found that prompts designed to induce fear, anxiety, anger, disgust, sadness, worry and stress caused most AIs to rate those emotional states higher on a scale of zero to 100.

When followed up with relaxation or debriefing prompts, those reported scores came back down.

Researchers say this could one day offer a low-risk way to test mental health theories well before trying them in people.

While this may seem to suggest AI has feelings, scientists say it must be understood as a research tool and not a human-like mind.

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BATON ROUGE — So far this year, the Louisiana Department of Health has reported 23 cases of Cyclospora, a parasitic infection that can cause weeks of watery diarrhea. 

No deaths have been reported in Louisiana, LDH said. One person was hospitalized as a result of the infection, however.

The 2026 statistics from the state health department are up from previous years. The state averaged 20 reported cases over the same time period during the past five years, LDH added. 

According to the Associated Press, 29 states have reported Cyclospora infections. 

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A non-smoker who was told he had about two months to live is now nearly three years cancer-free after receiving a double lung transplant through a Northwestern Medicine study.

David Peterson was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer after a persistent cough led to testing. The tumor was surgically removed, but the cancer came back and spread to both lungs.

"Nothing was working. I was completely out of options," Peterson said.

Peterson then found Northwestern Medicine's DREAM program. Dr. Ankit Bharat, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, says there has long been a belief that terminal lung cancer patients should not receive lung transplants, but this study looked at what happens when they do.

"It really is designed to serve as the last option when everything else has failed," Bharat said.

The study included 98 stage 4 lung cancer patients who met certain criteria. Of those, 17 underwent a double lung transplant, while the remaining 81 received medical management alone because a transplant was not an option.

Researchers say 100 percent of transplanted patients were alive one year after surgery, compared to a 41-percent one-year survival rate among patients treated with medical therapies alone.

"It offers the possibility of hope to many, many hopeless patients," Bharat said.

Peterson had been told he had about two months to live before the transplant. Nearly three years later, he remains cancer-free with no signs of organ rejection.

"Don't give up," Peterson said.

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A parasite called Cyclospora has sickened people across 17 states, with 145 reported cases and 20 hospitalizations recorded between May 1 and June 16, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC data shows no deaths have been reported during that period.

Dr. Amesh Adalja with the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says eating produce exposed to contaminated water can allow the parasite to enter the body.

"They invade the intestine, causing diarrhea, which can be watery, cause abdominal cramps and may last for several weeks," Adalja said.

Experts say Cyclospora tends to contaminate raw fruits and vegetables every summer. The parasite is not considered a new threat.

"For this particular outbreak, they haven't found the common source yet," Adalja said. "There may be more than one source."

Adalja says washing produce won't eliminate the threat but can reduce the risk. Firm fruits and vegetables like melons and cucumbers should be scrubbed with a clean produce brush under running water before eating, cutting or cooking.

Cutting away any damaged or bruised areas on produce before preparing and eating is also recommended. Any cut, peeled or cooked produce should be refrigerated within two hours.

Cooking fruits and vegetables can also lower risk.

"The best thing you can do is be judicious about where you're getting your produce from, washing it as best you can and then being on the alert for any symptoms that occur," Adalja said.

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Summer nights can throw off sleep schedules, but a sleep medicine doctor says there are simple ways to stay on track.

Dr. Chafen Hart, a sleep medicine doctor with National Jewish Health, says having a regular sleep schedule is just as important, if not more critical, than the amount of sleep achieved at night.

"Not only do people feel better if they have a regular schedule, but we also think this decreases their chances of cardiovascular events later in life and dementia," Hart said.

For those planning to stay up later than normal, Hart recommends sleep banking. That means taking a nap no longer than 30 minutes in the early afternoon.

Avoiding late heavy meals and alcohol can also help, as both can impact sleep. Hart says limiting caffeine is important, too, and it should be avoided after midday.

"The caffeine might help you stay up late, but you'll still feel more tired the next day," Hart said.

If something exciting happened before bed, Hart says it helps to decompress first and take time to relax the brain and body before trying to sleep.

Even when tired, she says the best thing to do is wake up within 30 minutes of the normal wake time, which can help keep the brain's sleep schedule on track.

For anyone losing sleep this summer, Hart says not to stress about it.

"Don't worry if you have a night or two where you don't get enough sleep, you'll make up for it," Hart said. "It will be OK and you'll get back on track."

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Grilling this summer comes with some health considerations worth knowing about, particularly around carcinogens.

"When you grill meats, there are certain chemicals that can be released that have potential to be a carcinogen, which means it can lead to cancer growth or increased risk for cancer," a health source said.

Processed meats like hot dogs, sausages and bacon are considered a class one carcinogen. Grilling them increases that risk even further.

Leaner options like chicken breast, turkey breast, lean ground beef and select grade steaks are recommended instead. Reducing grilling time is another way to lower exposure.

"The longer that meat is exposed to the flame, the more chances we have to create some of those carcinogen effects," a health source said. "So, if you can precook some of the meat, like boil it a little bit and then finish it off on the grill that will help."

"If you cut the meat into smaller pieces, like maybe do a meat and veggie skewer, that'll help because you're exposing it to the flame at a shorter time frame," the source said.

Marinating meats before grilling can also help. Making a marinade at home gives more control over what goes into it, since store-bought brands may contain high amounts of sugar and sodium.

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Healthy snacking habits don't have to take a break just because school is out for the summer.

Shannon O'Meara, a registered dietitian with Orlando Health Center for Health Improvement, says pairing protein with fiber between meals can help keep kids feeling full. Foods like beans, nuts, seeds, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, lean meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains all fit the bill.

"Healthy eating can be fun and this is a normal thing and it's not just something that's associated with going to school," O'Meara said.

One of her top tips is to make healthy snacks easy to grab. Cutting or prepping vegetables and fruit soon after buying them means they're ready when hunger hits.

Simple combinations like apple slices and peanut butter work well, and getting kids involved in building their own snacks can help teach them why eating the right foods matters.

"How can we encourage healthy eating, not as a punishment as maybe some people think about, but really is, 'I feel so good when I eat these foods,'" O'Meara said.

Making snacks fun is another approach O'Meara recommends. Themed options like "ants on a log," which is celery, peanut butter and raisins, or a healthy "dirt cup" made with Greek yogurt, berries and chia seeds, tend to be a hit with kids.

A kid-friendly charcuterie board or a "snackle" box, which works just like a tackle box but is filled with a variety of healthy foods, are other options families can try.

"If it is a burden for you, let's say you're not super kitchen savvy, you know, just do what you're able to," O'Meara said.

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BATON ROUGE — An FDA recall of multiple flavors of Zapp's chips and Dirty South potato chips has been upgraded to the most severe recall category due to the potential presence of Salmonella.

Earlier in the year, the FDA asked consumers not to eat and discard Zapp's Bayou Blackened Ranch, Salt and Vinegar and Big Cheezy chips, with Dirty South Sour Cream and Onion, Maui Onion and Salt and Vinegar potato chips also affected. Around 600,000 bags are affected.

Now, the FDA has increased the warning to a Class I, which they classify as having a "reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death." 

The chips, which are made by Utz, and the FDA said that seasoning containing dry milk powder, supplied by a third party, may contain Salmonella.

All of the impacted chips have best-by dates between July 27 and Aug. 31.

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BATON ROUGE — A new survey from Ohio State shows one in seven people do not have a primary care doctor and one in three have not had a checkup in the past year.

That means millions of people are missing out on the wellness benefits of regular visits to a medical professional.

Grant Bunting knows that reality well. He struggled to manage his type 2 diabetes even after weight loss surgery and taking up running, and a blood sugar spike put him in a coma for 11 days.

"I should have died," Bunting said.

While learning to walk again, he knew he needed help and could not manage his health on his own.

That's where Dr. Zachary Bittinger came in. "There's nobody that's in your corner more than your primary doctor," Dr. Bittinger said.

Dr. Bittinger started with Bunting's diet and exercise, then brought in pharmacist Jamie Bailey to help Bunting consistently monitor his glucose level and manage it with medication.

"We meet people wherever they are with their health and take care of them on a long-term basis," Dr. Bittinger said.

Primary care can monitor screenings and vaccinations, track medical history and help with balanced diet and exercise plans. Dr. Bittinger said primary care teams are well positioned to provide that kind of personalized approach.

"I want everybody to have somebody they trust, have a primary doctor that they can call with anything," Dr. Bittinger said.

That approach made a difference for Bunting. "I would even say having a primary care team is extremely important," he said.

Bunting now maintains a normal blood sugar and weight, giving him the confidence and accountability to prepare for his next run. "To get across that finish line with a smile on my face," he said.

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Sunglasses do more than complete a summer look — they protect the eyes and the skin around them from sun damage.

Ophthalmologist Dr. Nicole Bajic said UV exposure can lead to serious conditions.

"There are many types of conditions that can be caused from significant UV exposure," said Bajic. "Particularly, the most concerning is skin cancers. And so, it's so important to make sure you're protecting that area. Photokeratitis, solar retinopathy, all these things can also be affected."

When it comes to picking the right pair, experts say the price tag is not what matters — it is the type of lenses.

A pair with 100 percent UV protection, sometimes labeled UV 400, is what doctors recommend. Polarized lenses are another option and are popular with athletes because they help reduce sun glare.

Bigger lenses may not be the most fashionable choice, but doctors say they offer better protection because they cover more of the delicate skin around the eyes.

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BATON ROUGE — LSU researchers are seeking families to participate in a home-based research study on ways to reduce asthma symptoms in children.

The research studies asthma in children and researchers want families to get involved. Tavius Turner, a student in the program, spoke with April Davis on 2une In about how families can participate.

To qualify, the family must have a child between 5 and 17 years old with a diagnosed case of asthma.

Families who join the study will get guidance on identifying asthma triggers in the home along with tips for managing an asthma-friendly environment. 

During the study, participants will host a small air monitor in their home and use an air purifier and vacuum provided by the study. They will also complete brief surveys and check-ins over 4 months and work with LSU staff to track results and study progress. Participants receive a HEPA filter vacuum and air purifier to keep at the end of the study.

All information collected throughout the study is confidential and used only for research purposes.

Families interested in participating can call or text 225-286-1723 or email breathestudy@lsu.edu.

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