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

A five-year study of more than 2000 teenagers found no link between drinking sugar-sweetened sodas and becoming overweight.

• 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.

The study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

An earlier study from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) linked drinking sugar-sweetened sodas to being overweight in teenagers.

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

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Not getting enough exercise puts teenagers at risk for high blood pressure, according to a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

• Researchers in Canada studied 1,300 students (ages 12 to 13 years old) over a five-year period.
  
• They kept kept track of the children's exercise and measured their body fat and blood pressure regularly.
  
• When the children failed to exercise, their blood pressure readings tended to increase.

The recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes of low-level intensity exercise such as walking every day, and 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week. The researchers noted that half of all Canadian children do not get sufficient exercise.

Labels: health, teens, exercise, hypertension

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Overweight male teens are showing signs of heart disease even though they have normal blood pressure, according to a study from the Medical College of Georgia.

Researchers studied 126 boys ages 15 to 17 years old. Those who were overweight had elevated levels of aldosterone, a hormone associated with heart disease, even though they did not necessarily have elevated blood pressure.

Dr. Dayal D. Raja said that this study might indicate that certain boys should receive early treatment and intervention, especially if they have a family history of heart disease.

Dr. Raja presented his study in May during the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' 18th Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress in Houston.

Labels: heart_disease, overweight children, boys, teens

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A study that was conducted through the University of California (San Diego) School of Medicine found that overweight teenagers who weigh themselves at least once a week exhibited healthier overall behavior, including eating more fruits and vegetables and getting more exercise.

"We think that regular weight monitoring may increase a teen's awareness of weight fluctuations or gradual weight gain, enabling him or her to appropriately adjust their diet and exercise, said [Kerri] Boutelle. They also reported less daily calorie intake, less junk-food consumption and greater use of a structured diet." (Source: MediLexicon)

Some people have expressed concern that teens who regularly weigh themselves are more likely to develop body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. But this new study shows that the opposite appears to be true for teens who are overweight or obese.

Self-monitoring is encouraged by a number of highly effective and reputable weight loss and wellness programs, including the Structure House residential weight loss program.

Labels: self-control, weight_loss, teens, self-monitoring

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Teenagers get more exercise in warm weather months, but this does not compensate for an acute drop-off in exercise time during the winter, according to a new study from Canada.

For five years, researchers monitored 1,293 Montreal-area students ages 12 and 13. The most common reason the children canceled unplanned physical activities was bad weather, but planned activities often took place regardless of weather.

The research team recommended that a "variety of activities be available in winter," both indoor and outdoor.

Weather is just the latest in a list of obstacles to exercise that have been cited for preventing young people from getting an adequate amount of healthy activity. However, many health and weight loss experts have noted that overweight young people can overcome obstacles to exercise, and can reap the many benefits that are associated with following a healthy diet and remaining physically active.

Labels: overweight children, teens, exercise

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Spending more time in physical education classes helps overweight girls, according to a study funded by the National Center for Health Care Management.

Researchers kept track of the heights, weights and body mass indexes (BMIs) of 9750 children from kindergarten through first grade. In kindergarten, the majority of children spent 35 minutes a week in physical education. By first grade that increased to 68 minutes a week. Overweight girls and girls at risk for overweight benefited the most from the increase - they reduced their BMIs by a statistically significant amount. However, the extra time in physical education classes did not have much effort on overweight boys or normal weight childrens measurements.

Because of this study, Dr. Ashlesha Datar and her co-author Dr. Roland Sturm concluded that if all kindergarteners in the United States got at least five hours of physical education per week, the prevalence of overweight among girls would decrease by 4.3 percentage points (43%), and the prevalence of children at risk for overweight would decrease by 9.2 percentage points (60%). Currently only 16% of kindergarteners have physical education every day.

This was one of the first and only studies that proves increased time in physical education may help fight America's obesity epidemic among children.

This study appears in the American Journal of Public Health, September 2004 issue.

Labels: overweight, causes of childhood obesity, teens

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A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that obese teens who are given a choice between gastric bands and gastric bypass surgery prefer the bands. However, the procedure is relatively new among young people, and its safety is still in question.

“Gastric band surgery may appeal to teens because of an intense marketing campaign by manufacturers, the researchers wrote. The adjustability and possible reversibility may also appeal to young people… Insurance concerns may also drive surgery choices: Those who were paying for their own procedures were more likely to get gastric band surgery (it’s less expensive).” - Source: Live Science

Because of the uncertainties about both the safety and efficacy of gastric band surgery in teenagers, the procedure hasn’t been approved by the FDA for use in young people. Exceptions can be made, but researchers emphasized that gastric surgery of any kind should be a last resort for obese teens who have tried diet and exercise but haven’t been able to lose weight.

Labels: gastric band, teens, surgeries

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 2 Comments