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Junk food still marketed to children, a ‘safer’ method of IVF and why a glass of wine a day is good for your baby

The world’s first healthy baby has been born using a ‘safer’ method of IVF, the BBC reports.

Baby Health was conceived using naturally occurring hormone kisseptin to kick start his mother’s ovaries and release eggs in a gentler, more natural way than in conventional IVF treatment.

Kisseptin treatment could avoid a rare but fatal complication seen with conventional IVF, where around one in every 100 women will develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS.

Instead of producing a few eggs, the ovaries go into overdrive and produce too many. While most women with OHSS have mild symptoms and recover, those with severe OHSS can die.

Dr Geoffrey Trew, who runs a fertility clinic at Hammersmith hospital where the trials of kisseptin were held, said he was thrilled with the result: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled that this study has resulted in the birth of a healthy baby boy.

‘Each year, thousands of couples in the UK start families using IVF treatment and if we can work towards eliminating the risk of OHSS, using the naturally occurring hormone kisspeptin, we can hopefully help even more women and make the treatment potentially safer.’

When the researchers finish their current study this summer they hope to begin bigger trials in patients at high risk of OHSS.

Still on the subject of babies, the Telegraph reports that pregnant mothers can still enjoy a guilt free tipple or two.

A glass of wine a day will not harm your baby and may actually be good for a child’s development, researchers have found.

In test on balance, which are a maker for development, children whose mother drank more during pregnancy may actually perform better.

However, social advantage may have had an influence as more affluent, better educated mothers tended to be the ones who drank during pregnancy, the team from Bristol University said.

The Guardian reports that junk food is still marketed to children despite strict rules governing advertising on children’s TV.

A report by the World Health Organisation said food companies are finding ways to bypass the rules on advertising unhealthy products to children, fuelling the obesity epidemic.

Food companies advertise products high in salt, fat and sugar on shows such as ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, which research shows are widely watched by younger viewers.

They are also targeting children through computer games, mobile phones and social networks such as Facebook.

The WHO calls for tighter regulation on marketing of unhealthy foods across the whole of Europe.

And finally, are you drinking a cup of coffee or tea right now? Put it down immediately, because you’re probably addicted, according to the Daily Mail.

The paper reports on a study which found that while many of us think a dose of caffeine perks us up, we are actually fighting the withdrawal symptoms from our last hit.

The morning ritual is actually a ‘sign of mass drug dependency’, the experts said.