Posts Tagged ‘childhood obesity’

Extreme obesity is affecting more children at a younger age, 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls are now classified as extremely obese, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 710,949 children and teens that appears online in the Journal of Pediatrics. That means more than 45,000 extremely obese children were in this group. 

These numbers are taken of children from the ages of 2-19 years from a largely racially and ethnically diverse population, using the recent 2009 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extreme obesity definition.

Children’s Obesity Risk

Children’s obesity risk is greatest for this generation, and a threat to their health as they mature.

“Children who are extremely obese may continue to be extremely obese as adults, and all the health problems associated with obesity are in these children’s futures. Without major lifestyle changes, these kids face a 10 to 20 years shorter life span and will develop health problems in their twenties that we typically see in 40 – 60 year olds,” said study lead author Corinna Koebnick, PhD, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif. “For example, children who are extremely obese are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and joint problems, just to name a few.”

Obesity and Health 

“Our focus and concern is all about health and not about appearance. Children who are morbidly obese can do anything they want — they can be judges, lawyers, doctors — but the one thing they cannot be is healthy,” said study co-author Amy Porter, MD, a Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park pediatrician who leads the Pediatric Weight Management Initiative for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region.

“The most important advice to parents of extremely obese children is that this has to be addressed as a family issue. There is rarely one extremely obese kid in a house where everyone else is extremely healthy. It’s important that everyone in the family is invested in achieving a healthier lifestyle,” Porter said.

Obesity Head Start

What we are promoting in this country is a new head start program.This problem is not only growing, but it is starting at a younger and younger age. Numerous studies have shown that packing on the pounds during the infancy and toddler years put very young toddlers at risk to become obese adults. It has also been shown that the eating patterns that children are exposed to early on sets up preferences.

Obesity is Abuse

America is setting children up to develop diseases of aging at very young ages.

To halt the vicious cycle that comes from a life of unrestricted eating, nutritional intervention is needed. The body can only tolerate so much abuse before it starts to fail. How much more can Americans tolerate?

There are failures, deception, and cover ups that are making our food supply both addictive and dangerous. The danger that obesity poses to this generation is enormous. This is a generation that will be introduced to pharmaceuticals before they learn about healthy eating.

Being called fatty is not the problem. It isn’t even being charged for two airline seats, or being asked to get off the flight. It is that by being a fatty, you’re on fire literally and figuratively.

Those extra pounds cause inflammation, which is akin to a fire within. The consequence of this is chronic health conditions, and accelerated aging. Your shape is the precursor of things to come.

Appearance

The outward appearance is the least of the problem. What is of concern is the increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer risk. Your weight is a precise and accurate measurement of your loss in function, not gain.

There is a debate going on that says you can be overweight and healthy. That is true, but you can’t rely on this fact to be consistent. The reason is that most people who are overweight rely on inflammatory foods for nutrition.

Health

Health is not related in a positive way to obesity. It is a sub-group that has outstanding health and is grossly overweight. In a study published in the May 2009 “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” it suggested an increased occurrence of food allergies may be liked to the rising rate of childhood obesity. It is known that obesity is associated with a greater development of atopic diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. Also a 59 percent increase in food sensitization was noted. “The analysis of continuous Body Mass Index (BMI) with total igE levels supports the concept that increased weight is associated with increased allergic predisposition.” IgE is a class of antibodies produced in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes and responsible for allergic reactions.

Medical research suggests that obesity (BMI), allergy (igE) and inflammation (C – reactive protein) are related. Inflammation is the foundation for the development of allergies, and degenerative diseases.

Fat Cells

Fat cells produce inflammatory hormones. The question scientists ask is whether inflammation precedes obesity or obesity leads to inflammation and allergy. This is like asking which came first the chicken or egg. Of course inflammation is a cause of obesity, and obesity sets you up for more inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle is the answer to both possible scenarios.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005-2006, were analyzed and the key findings were:

• Allergies are more prevalent among obese and overweight children.
• Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation.
• Allergy is also associated with inflammation.

Aging

There are a lot of people who are aging and manage to remain healthy. These people can gain weight with less repercussions. It is even thought to be protective to put on a few pounds.

The aging population is the first generation of pill poppers, which say that they have serious afflictions. So their extra weight is not necessarily good if it is coming from nutrient deficient foods. Seniors are also suffering from inflammatory conditions, which are being treated with pharmaceuticals.

Conclusion

Being overweight is less about appearance and more about substance. The effect of the extra fat is where the problem resides. Obesity is associated with chronic, low-level inflammation in fatty tissue. Double jeopardy is when you see it and then do nothing about it. Seeing the weight as a cosmetic issue doesn’t make sense, when everything points to a lifetime of nagging health problems. That is the real shape of things to come.

When a house is on fire you get out, when your body is on fire you stay and put it out.

Children’s health in America is changing. The sustained energy that seems to last the whole day is part of childhood. We equate childhood with physical performance and vitality.

CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS

The rate of chronic health conditions among children in America has increased from 12.8% in 1994 to 26.6% in 2006, for conditions such as obesity, asthma and behavior/learning problems, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

SUGAR

A day filled with sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, maltodextin, and other odd sweeteners will change the playing field. Toxic artificial colors and sweeteners combine to take the octane out of childhood.

EPIGENETICS

The study of epigenetics tells a story. The not so good news is that there is sufficient evidence that adult lifestyle can change the health of their future children. The same bad behaviors that can shorten your life can predispose your offspring to the same health risks. This can happen before they are conceived.

DNA

Children’s health is a measure of your history. Taking extra measures to protect your health helps ensure healthy offspring. The message is loud and clear everyday choices affect future generations.

Your DNA may not be your destiny, but your health habits may be the foundation of your child’s future.

GENES

In a remote area of northern Sweden a tiny population revealed how genes work.

In a place called Norrbotten, in the 19^th century, peoples lives depended on the harvest. There were years in the 1800’s where there was total crop failure and famine. In other years in the same time period when crops were abundant and people were able to gorge themselves for months.

In the 1980’s, Dr Lars Olov Bygren, a preventive-health specialist who is at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, wondered what long term effects the feast and famine years might have had on children growing up in Norrbotten in the 19^th century. On them, on their offspring including their grandkids as well.

He took random sample of 99 individuals born in the Overkalix parish of Norrbotten in 1905 and used historical records to trace their parents and grandparents back to birth. By analyzing meticulous agricultural records, Byren and two colleagues determined how much food had been available to the parents and grandparents when they were young.

Bygren’s research showed that in Overkalix, boys who enjoyed those rare overabundant winters-kids who went from normal eating to gluttony in a single season –produced sons and grandsons who lived shorter lives. Bygren and his team controlled for certain socioeconomic variations, the difference in longevity was an astonishing 32 years. They also found significant drops in lifespan along the female line. This means the daughters and granddaughters of girls who went from a normal to a gluttonous diet also lived shorter lives.

Bygren showed that conditions in the womb affected the offspring’s health into adulthood. In 1986 Lancer published the first of two papers showing that if pregnant women ate poorly, her child would be at a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular disease

THE ANSWER

Bygren and other scientists have historical evidence that suggests powerful environmental conditions can leave an imprint on the genetic material in eggs and sperm. These genetic imprints can short-circuit evolution and pass along new traits in a single generation.

Patterns of how childhood chronic conditions have changed over time can be found in our lifestyles. The answer to obesity, asthma, behavior/learning problems, and metabolic syndrome has been found.