Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

Several recent studies have found that childhood obesity increases a person's risk for serious heart issues as an adult. It's estimated that heart disease could increase by as much as 16% once today's teenagers reach adulthood.

"According to an interview conducted by KATU News, 'We've simply never had a generation that's been this heavy from so early in life. The consequences of that are unprecedented and unknown,' said Dr. David Ludwig, director of an obesity program at Children's Hospital Boston. He says that the results of these two studies may be underestimating the future health issues that may result from the weight problems this generation is struggling with."

An estimated 1/3 of US children are overweight or obese, leading to an increase in the diagnosis of things like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Labels: research, heart_disease, studies

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This winter, the Canadian Ski Council is again offering its Grade5 SnowPass program. The program, aimed at 10-year-olds, gives kids a free, day-long skiing or snowboarding pass at each of the participating resorts.

"The Canadian Ski Council is launching this year's annual SnowPass program in an effort to expose kids to winter sports, and in particular to skiing and snowboarding. Skiing and snowboarding can provide a full day of fun and exercise for the entire family. In fact, a day on the hill can burn up to 2000 calories. Studies also show that involving kids in outdoor sports leads to active lifestyles later in life."

Obesity rates are steadily increasing in Canada, and kids especially at risk of developing unhealthy lifestyles during the winter when most would choose to stay inside and play videogames. Applications for the SnowPass program are available online at ww.snowpass.ca.

Labels: exercise, lifestyle, winter_sports

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A new study from the University of Florida has found that cutting fructose may do more for weight-management and weight-loss than cutting carbs. The findings were recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

"Many diets - including the low-carb variety - are based on the glycemic index, which measures how foods affect blood glucose levels. Because starches convert to glucose in the body, these diets tend to limit foods such as rice and potatoes. While table sugar is composed of both glucose and fructose, fructose seems to be the more dangerous part of the equation, UF researchers say. Eating too much fructose causes uric acid levels to spike, which can block the ability of insulin to regulate how the body cells use and store sugar and other nutrients for energy, leading to obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes..."

Though fructose isn't the only culprit in the current obesity epidemic, it may play a more important role that previously believed. Researchers warn, however, that junk food, high-fat food and a sedentary lifestyle are important factors as well.

Labels: nutrition, healthy_eating, sugars

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New York Sports Clubs (NYSC), the largest operator of fitness clubs in New York, and Snapple are hosting a 24-hour spin-a-thon to raise awareness and money to fight childhood obesity. The event will take place on January 18, 2008 at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

"Corporate sponsors or individual riders will contribute a minimum of $100 an hour to participate in Saints and Spinners and all proceeds raised will benefit HealthCorps, the student health education program founded by 'Oprah's Doctor' Mehmet Oz in response to America's childhood obesity crisis. The goal of the event is to raise $375,000 to fund 5 new HealthCorps programs - one for a high school in each borough of New York City."

One-hundred riders will participate at a time, for 55-minute intervals, with each interval being led by a "Celebrity Spinner". This will be the largest spinning event in New York City History.

Labels: awareness, exercise, celebrities

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The Utah school board has voted 11 to four to keep control of policies that determine what is sold in school vending machines. The board voted down what would have banned, state-wide, the sale of pop and candy in school vending machines.

"So school districts now just have to come up with policies on vending machine and other fare that doesn't come through the school lunch program, and submit them to the state school board in January 2009."

State board members acknowledge that childhood obesity is a serious issue, but believe that local school districts need to take matters into their own hands, rather than relying on state-controlled legislations.

Looking for a boarding school in Utah? Visit BoardingSchoolsInfo.com for a compete list of boarding junior and high schools in Utah.

Labels: healthy_eating, schools, vending_machines

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Believe it or not, social setting, presentation, and even the size of the plate can all influence how much a person eats. Dr. Wanda Hollway, a specialist in eating disorders and obesity, gives advice about what to look for and how to keep eating under control at parties and other social gatherings.

"People often feel a loss of control over their food intake when they are being observed or monitored by others. They may often have a hard time saying no when others are commenting on the taste and flavor of different items or when they are being encouraged to try something they would not have chosen while alone. More often than not, they tend to eat more than they had intended."

Social gatherings are meant to be fun for adults and for kids. Enjoying food together is part of the fun and shouldn't be cut out altogether. It is important, however, to be aware of how much you're actually eating.

Social influences and pressures can make teens engage in all kinds of risky behaviors including substance abuse. Worried that your teenager is doing drugs or drinking? Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com for warning signs and ways to help.

Labels: stress, influences, pressures

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Two new studies linking overweight in childhood with adult heart disease gives "a frightening glimpse of what we have in store," according to David S. Ludwig of Harvard Medical School.

The studies are the first to confirm that children who are overweight have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as adults. These conclusions are important because the percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1976 and now numbers over nine million.

Researchers from the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark, examined the height/weight charts of more than 276,000 Danish children between 1955 and 1960, and then looked through hospital records from 1977 to 2001 to find the ones who had been hospitalized for heart disease.

"Even a few extra pounds put a child at risk," said Jennifer Baker of the Copenhagen Institute.

If the child lost weight before age 13 years and remained at normal weight, his chances of developing heart disease returned to normal.

A second study from the University of California at San Francisco produced similar results using U.S. federal statistics.

"Overweight children are losing their childhood," said Melinda Sothern, and expert on childhood obesity at Louisiana State University. "They can't do the same types of activities as healthy weight children. Now they will lose their early adulthood as well."

Labels: health_risks, activity, quality_of_life

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We hear the statistics about overweight and obese kids. We hear about the dangers - that childhood obesity can even be life-threatening. But we don't believe it until we hear a tragic story in which the very worst actually happened. The worst happened to Bonnie Zertuche, who lost her 4-year-old to complications caused by obesity.

"The jovial youngster stood 3-foot-6-inches tall. He weighed 120 pounds... Rolando went into cardiac arrest in a Corpus Christi hospital... The cardiac arrest sent him to San Antonio. There, the youngster went into a coma."

Bonnie says her son was born heavy. Obesity runs in her family, she says. But had she known it would cost her son his life, she would have been more persistent about changing his exercise and eating habits.

Labels: death, health_care, cardiovascular_disease

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The federal program We Can! recently expanded to three major US cities, in a continued effort to combat childhood obesity. The program has seen promising results, which most attribute to parental involvement.

"Previous childhood obesity programs at her NIH agency, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, didn't include parents as mush, so the message didn't stick as well, said Karen Donato, We Can! program manager."

By committing to a We Can! program, a community agrees to host a specific number of promotional events. A total of 450 communities in 44 states are currently enrolled in the program.

Labels: parents, community, federal_programs

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Soccer star Kristine Lilly and tennis legend Billie Jean King will be at the University of Massachusetts on Tuesday to launch an initiative titled GoGirlGo!. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness about the important role fitness should play in the lives of young girls.

"GoGirlGo! is the brainchild of the Women's Sports Foundation, which already has launched successful initiatives in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Antonio...The Women's Sports Foundation, which has done extensive research on the connection between successful young women and fitness, determined the health of today's girls is 'threatened by inactivity'. According to the Foundation, regular participation in physical activity during adolescence promotes self-confidence and a positive body image."

The GoGirlGo! Boston initiative will conduct workshops, report on the state of girls' physical activity and health, and provide grants for organizations that offer physical activities for girls.

Girls who struggle in a co-ed school environment often prosper in an all-girls setting. Visit BoardingSchoolsforGirls to find girls schools.

Labels: exercise, sports, athletes

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For over fifty years, nutritionists and doctors have depended on studies that prove adolescent acne is not related to adolescent diet.

Now an Australian study from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found that teens who consume a healthy diet experience less acne.

Dr. Neil Mann and his colleagues had 22 males ages 15 to 21 years old follow the usual teen diet of white bread, potatoes, sugary drinks and snacks. A second group of 21 males was put on a healthy diet of whole grain breads and pasta, legumes, lean meat, fish, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Three months later, the boys on the healthy diet reduced their acne lesions in half and had no new lesions or infections.

"These results were astounding," Dr. Mann said.

This study appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Labels: diet, research, acne

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Beginning December 1st, Michigan doctors will have a toolkit designed to help them address the problem of childhood obesity. Developed for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan by eight area doctors, it is believed to be the state's first comprehensive childhood obesity toolkit of its kind.

"Containing about 20 pages of information for physicians, as well as posters to adorn their waiting rooms, the kit offers a number of... helpful resources, including: Body mass index charts that are age-specific for children and offer a quick and efficient way to gauge a child's weight in proportion to his or her height and age."

Other resources include ways to identify and manage type-2 diabetes and hypertension in children, and ways to effectively communicate with families about the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The Sierras Solution is another great tool for families dealing with obesity.

Labels: resources, tools, information

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