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

• Dr. John Harrington of Eastern Virginia Medical School studied data on more than 100 obese children and teenagers.
• Dr. Harrington discovered that 90 percent of his subjects had been overweight by the time they were five years old.
  
• The researcher said that he believes that age two is a "tipping point" age for being overweight, although most of the children in the study began gaining weight as early as three months.

Labels: infant, obese teens, parenting

The first of the teenage boys underwent the surgery in 2006 and the second had the operation last year. Obesity experts said the operations illustrated Britain's failure to come to terms with the problem.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said the surgery, which was believed to have been carried out on the NHS at Sheffield Children's Hospital in South Yorkshire, would have been a ''last resort'' after the boys' weight became life-threatening. ...

Mr Fry said National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines stated that such surgery for children should only be carried out in ''really extreme'' cases.

''It is something which is certainly not desirable but in some instances where life is threatened by the size of the child then this kind of surgery is appropriate,'' he said.

''Clearly, if it was life-threatening then that's what the doctors thought would be necessary. It is absolutely a last resort.''

Labels: gastric band, obese teens

• The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery reported that 220,000 people had procedures in 2008, representing a twofold increase from 2007.
• This year, the Penrose Medical Center in Denver became one of the first surgical centers for obese teens. A surgery costs $9,500 and is not always covered by insurance.

Labels: obese teens, weight loss surgery

• Among obese teens, the abnormal cholesterol rate is 43 percent.
• Among the overweight teens, it is 22 percent.
• Among teens of normal weight, the percentage is 14 percent.
  
• Boys were at greater risk than girls, with 24 percent of boys having abnormal readings, compared to 16 percent of girls.

Labels: cholesterol, obese teens, overweight children

• Dr. Thomas Inge and his colleagues studied 61 teenagers a year after they had gastric bypass surgery, an operation that involves stapling the upper portion of the stomach to create a small pouch that restricts the amount of food a person can eat at one time.
• The group that was the most overweight managed to lose nearly 40 percent of their body mass index (BMI), but that did not mean they achieved a medically-recommended weight.
  
• The ones who had the lowest BMIs going into surgery had the lowest BMIs a year after the surgery.
  

Labels: gastric bypass, obese teens, weight loss surgery

• The researchers found that teens who drank milk tended to be slimmer, and those who consumed no-calorie drinks were more likely to be overweight.
• Researchers at Project EAT (Eating among Teens) surveyed 2294 teenagers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area about their beverage habits over a five-year period.
  
• The teens who were drinking low-calorie soft drinks had general dietary behaviors and weight concerns, which could explain their weight gain.

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, obese teens, sodas, teens

• Dr. Rose Graham studied 1323 children ages 12 to 19 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
• Boys who had metabolic syndrome -- that is, insulin resistance increased waist circumference, high blood pressure and abnormal levels of cholesterol -- were more likely to be at risk for serious liver disease.
• The same was not true of girls.
• Metabolic syndrome is associated with obesity.

Labels: boys, health_risks, obese teens

Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied 1,687 people ages 18 to 25 years old and found that about 40 percent reported that they did not have to time to sit down for regular meals, leading to higher intake of soft drinks, fast foods, and high fat foods. People who do sit down for leisurely meals tend to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and make other healthy choices, the researchers reported.

This study appeared in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Labels: fast_food, junk_food, obese teens

"Overweight children can have arch problems, fractures and inflammation, as well as bunions, flat feet and problems with the bones in the feet connecting properly. And having foot problems makes it even harder for kids to lose weight because it's more difficult to be active."

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, foot pain, obese teens, weight loss

Labels: obese teens