Child Health
Sesame Workshop and NewYork-Presbyterian Join Forces to Champion Children’s Health
The two organizations will partner to foster healthy habits in young children and their families by offering free resources and videos and “Sesamatized” spaces
NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — Today, Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street, and NewYork-Presbyterian announced a partnership to improve health outcomes for young children by supporting their physical and emotional well-being through joyful learning moments engaging parents, caregivers, and community providers. Sesame Workshop is collaborating with NewYork-Presbyterian’s physicians and community partners on a social impact and mass media campaign featuring videos, educational materials, and “Sesamatized” physical spaces, to promote children’s health.
The partnership is launching with a six-part video series titled “Ask a Doctor,” featuring Sesame Street Muppets and NewYork-Presbyterian physicians. The videos are designed to educate and empower parents and caregivers on how to help young children stay healthy. They will cover topics including how to develop healthy sleep habits, deal with food allergies, and prepare for wellness visits. The series can be found on Sesame Workshop’s YouTube channel and will be available on NewYork-Presbyterian’s internal patient entertainment system.
“We are delighted to partner with NewYork-Presbyterian in our shared commitment to equity and health justice,” said Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D., Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop. “Our collaboration allows us to combine our expertise in healthcare, child development, and family and community engagement to make an impactful difference in the lives of those who need it most. In fostering healthy practices, especially in the early years, in ways that incorporate the perspectives and needs of parents and caregivers along with their community support networks, we are all working together to pave the way for a healthier, more equitable future.”
“We are thrilled to work with Sesame Workshop to empower parents and caregivers with important health information and meet families where they are,” said Dr. Deepa Kumaraiah, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NewYork-Presbyterian. “Through fun learning moments that support the health and well-being of young people in our communities, we can help reduce health disparities and work toward health justice.”
A key focus of the partnership is a collaboration between Sesame Workshop and NewYork-Presbyterian’s neighboring community partners. Sesame Workshop will create educational materials with input from the children and caregivers in the communities NewYork-Presbyterian serves. Among the resources that will be available are bilingual Muppet videos, storybooks, parent guides, and activity books. “Sesamatized” physical spaces including décor featuring Sesame Street Muppets will open in the second half of 2025. The materials will be available where children and their families are, including community centers and NewYork-Presbyterian’s hospitals and clinics.
Additionally, two videos, featuring Elmo, Gabrielle, and other Sesame Street friends, that celebrate everyone of all hair and fur types complement NewYork-Presbyterian’s Dalio Center for Health Justice’s Crown Hair Care program, an initiative to provide inclusive hair care kits for pediatric and obstetric patients with curly, coiled, or tightly textured hair. These are also featured on NewYork-Presbyterian’s patient entertainment system.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
About NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s 50,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.
For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
SOURCE NewYork-Presbyterian
Food and Beverage
Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome – a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria
Last Updated on October 29, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Christopher Damman, University of Washington
Each October, as the days shorten and the air grows crisp, millions of Americans prepare for the beloved – and often sugar-fueled – tradition of Halloween. From jack-o’-lanterns glowing on porches to costumes ranging from the whimsical to the gory, Halloween is a time of playful scares, childhood memories and, of course, candy.
But as the wrappers pile up and the sugar rush hits, there’s something far more sinister brewing beneath the surface: the negative effects of candy on your gut health.
Sugar and other ingredients in Halloween treats can cast a sickly spell on the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome. As a gastroenterologist and gut microbiome researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, I have dedicated my career to decoding the cipher of how food affects this microbial community within your gut.
While no candy is truly healthy, some options are better for your gut than others. And there are ways you can help wake your gut from its sugar “spell” after holiday indulgence.
Gut-busting treats
What does all this candy do to your gut?
In a healthy state, your gut microbiome acts like a microbial factory. It digests nutrients your body can’t – such as fiber and colorful, health-conferring plant compounds called polyphenols – and produces important molecules called metabolites that protect against infection and support brain health. It also regulates metabolism, or the transformation of food into useful components that power and grow cells.
A balanced diet keeps your gut’s microbial cauldron churning smoothly. But the concentrated sugar, saturated fat and additives in candy can throw things into disarray by feeding inflammatory microbes that weaken your gut barrier – the protective lining that separates your microbiome from the rest of the body.
Once the gut barrier is breached, even friendly microbes can stir up inflammation, causing health issues ranging from overweight to obesity, infections to autoimmune disease, and mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s.
Sugar and inflammation impair your microbiome’s ability to digest food and regulate metabolism. Instead of producing healthy byproducts – such as butyrate from fiber and urolithin A from polyphenols – candy lacking these nutrients may trick your system into storing more fat, providing less energy for your muscles and brain.
Too much candy can also affect your immune system. A healthy gut microbiome helps your immune system distinguish between friend and foe, reducing the risk of infections and autoimmune disorders. Sugar and inflammation undermine the microbiome’s role in training the immune system to distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances. Without a carefully calibrated immune system, your body may not effectively clear infections or may strongly react to its own cells.
Neurologically, excess sweets can also affect the gut-brain axis, the two-way communication between the gut and brain. A healthy microbiome normally produces neurotransmitters and metabolites, such as serotonin and butyrate, that influence mood and cognitive performance. Sugar and inflammation adversely affects the microbiome’s role in mental health and cognitive function, contributing to depression, anxiety and memory troubles.
The candy conundrum
Not all Halloween treats are created equal, especially when it comes to their nutritional value and effects on gut health. Sugar-coated nuts and fruit such as honey-roasted almonds and candy apples rank among the top, offering whole food benefits just beneath the sugary coating. Packed with fiber and polyphenols, they help support gut health and healthy metabolism.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are chewy treats such as candy corn, Skittles, Starbursts and Twizzlers. These sugar-laden confections are mostly made of high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat and additives. They can increase the unsavory bacterial species in your gut and lead to inflammation, making them one of the least healthy Halloween choices.
Chocolate-based candies, however, stand out as a more microbiome-friendly option. While varieties such as Twix, Three Musketeers and Milky Way contain only a small amount of chocolate, pure chocolate bars – especially dark chocolate – are rich in fiber and polyphenols. In moderation, dark chocolate with at least 80% to 85% cacao may even benefit your gut microbiome and mood by encouraging beneficial bacterial species to grow.
Chocolates with whole nuts, such as almonds or peanuts, offer a boost of fiber, protein and omega-3 fats, making them a healthier choice. Dark chocolate with nuts is best. But when sorting through Halloween treats, Peanut M&Ms, 100 Grands and Almond Joys may be better options over Rolos, Krackels and Crunches. Even candies with processed nuts, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Butterfingers, retain small amounts of fiber and protein, making them preferable to nut-free options.
At the bottom of the list, along with chewy sugar candies, are pure sugar candies such as lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, gummies and Smarties. These sweets lack nutritional value, and their high sugar content can contribute to the growth of unhealthy bacteria in your gut microbiome.
In the end, all candies are high in sugar, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities. Moderation and an otherwise balanced diet is key to enjoying Halloween treats.
Rebalancing after indulgence
If the microbiome is critical for health, and candy can disrupt its balance, how can you restore gut health after Halloween?
One simple strategy is focusing on the four F’s of food: fiber, phytochemicals, unsaturated fats and fermented foods. These food components can help support gut health.
Fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables regulate digestion and nourish beneficial gut bacteria.
Polyphenol-rich foods such as dark chocolate, berries, red grapes, green tea and extra virgin olive oil help reduce inflammation and encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
Unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fats, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon can also support a healthy microbiome.
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir and miso help replenish beneficial bacteria and restore gut balance.
To make tracking your diet easier, consider using a food calculator to measure how well your meals align with the four F’s and microbiome friendly options. Like a virtual “spellbook,” an online tool can help ensure your food choices support your gut health and ward off the effects of sugar overload.
As my daughters often remind me, it’s perfectly fine to indulge every now and then in a few tricks and treats. But remember, moderation is key. With a balanced diet, you’ll keep your gut healthy and strong long after the Halloween season ends.
Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Food and Beverage
A Lesson in Kindness, Inclusion and How Kids Eat Differently
Kids Eat Differently: The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
A Lesson in Kindness, Inclusion and How Kids Eat Differently
(Feature Impact) The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
Watch this video to learn more
For families who rely on tube feeding, it is an essential part of daily life but is often understood only by those who experience it. That limited awareness can leave children who are tube fed and their families feeling isolated or unseen, according to Gerard Minor, a pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology specialist.
Parents can use everyday questions as opportunities to help children understand there are many ways people receive nourishment. Teachers, classmates, caregivers and communities can also help make tube feeding part of the everyday conversation around childhood rather than something that separates children from it.
“Helping children understand those differences early can encourage curiosity, kindness and inclusion,” Minor said.
To help bring greater awareness, understanding and representation to children and families who experience tube feeding every day, Compleat, a leader in tube feeding formulas, launched “What Is Better Than How,” featuring “Sesame Street’s” Elmo and his signature warmth and curiosity. The original song celebrates the many ways people eat. Some people eat with a fork, some use a spoon and some use a tube, reinforcing a simple message: What matters is not how you eat. What matters is that you are nourished, loved and included.
To hear the song, create a personalized version and learn more about the campaign, visit Compleat.com/WhatIsBetterThanHow.
SOURCE:
Child Health
Changing the Landscape of Childhood Cancer Survivorship
Childhood Cancer: hile “cancer” is a term no family wants to hear, especially when it comes to their children, there is reason for hope. Today, 85% of children diagnosed with cancer survive at least five years. Survival is only part of the journey, however.
Changing the Landscape of Childhood Cancer Survivorship
(Feature Impact) While “cancer” is a term no family wants to hear, especially when it comes to their children, there is reason for hope. Today, 85% of children diagnosed with cancer survive at least five years, according to the National Cancer Institute, up from 75% three decades ago.
Watch this video to learn more
“This progress is driven in large part by dedicated research,” Hyundai Hope on Wheels Board Member Kevin Reilly said. “Over the last 28 years, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has committed over $300 million in pediatric cancer research and program grants, awarding more than 1,600 grants to 210 medical institutions nationwide, impacting thousands of young lives each year.”
Survival is only part of the journey, however. Nearly half (46%) of U.S. adults believe a child ringing the hospital bell after cancer treatment means the child is cancer-free and their medical journey is largely over, according to a survey conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For the children and families living through a diagnosis, the reality is far more complex.
“The reality is that healing continues long after treatment, which is why sustained investment in survivorship care is a priority for us,” said John Guastaferro, executive director of Hyundai Hope on Wheels.
Isabella Franco-Capps, 11, understands that journey firsthand. Diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5, her journey took two years before she could say she’s “a cancer survivor.”
“I was diagnosed with b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” she said. “This began my two-year-long journey of scans, pokes, chemotherapy and hospital stays. And now I’m a cancer survivor.”
Fellow Hyundai Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador, Jackson Trihn, 12, is using his voice to call for continued research and to bring hope to others.
“The role … is being able to share my story,” he said. “Not just to spread awareness but to spread hope to kids that need it. And awareness is so important because people don’t understand how hard pediatric cancer can be.”
Continued progress can help ensure more children ring the bell and receive the care and support they need long after they’ve had the opportunity to do so. To learn more about these efforts and how you can help, visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.
SOURCE:
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