LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity Statistics–Where Do We Place the Blame?

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It’s very easy to look around and notice that any childhood obesity statistic you point to is headed in an unwanted direction. But what is the best way to fix it?

It started with getting our kids to move more.  Sitting around playing video games was destroying our kids’ collective waistlines.  If we could just get them moving more life would be great again.  Heck–even Ronald McDonald hopped in this bandwagon.

And yet the percentage of obese children continue to grow.

So it must be soda in our schools.  Pepsi and Coke weren’t happy about this movement but we did it anyway.  And what did we see?  Sugar sweetened beverage consumption didn’t change.  And how could this be?  Because the kids had ready access at home to this marvel of modern chemistry.

We’ve danced around the problem for so long now that we’ve forgotten where it starts.  At home.

Sure, school lunches need some work.  Sure, we know that things like BPA leads to obesity and diabetes and other chemical exposures are everywhere (of course-parents should NOT be giving their kids bottled water anyway…).

Long before children arrive at school and start to eat school lunches they have been influenced by the parents eating behaviors.  This means you.

As parents, we have to stop the cycle.  Of course, first we have to recognize the problem, and studies have shown that some parents are having a problem accepting his or her child as being overweight.

Just in case you don’t believe me or think I’m being overly dramatic, this particular study adds additional evidence to the fact that parental obesity is driving childhood obesity statistics in the US off the worldwide charts.

Researchers looked at weight loss interventions for obese children that were at an average of 11.9 years old.  They looked at factors that led to an inability to lose weight and one single factor stood out above all else.

Obese children in families where both parents had weight problems were 600% more likely to be unsuccessful.

600%

If you are a parent of an obese child and you yourself have weight issues, you owe it to your child to make the right decisions for yourself first.  That means NOT running around stressing about making sure your child eats breakfast or dinner but skipping it yourself.

It means that your exercise is just as important as your child’s soccer or football practice.

It means understanding that the overwhelming stress from work is never worth teaching your children these same coping habits. 

Make the decision right now for your family.

Fitness Training to Burn Fat; Work Smarter, Not Harder

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I think many of us do not do fitness training because they perceive they don’t have time. NOT true. If you’re looking to burn fat, you need to exercise smarter.

This will not be the first time I have posted about short-burst aerobic activity.  As a matter of fact, this topic has been coming up again and again in the medical literature and continues to show benefits above and beyond sustained aerobic exercise.  And really–in today’s society, who the heck has 45 minutes to spare?  I could almost crank out a blog post in this amount of time…

What seems to constitute short burst aerobic activity?  Depends on the study, but they’re all similar:

  1. 10 – 30 second bursts on an exercise bike at 90% maximal rate
  2. 4-6 sets of 30 second bursts on an exercise bike
  3. 3 sets of 12 – 30 second bursts at 50% maximal rate with a one minute break

Overall, I think you get the idea.  For someone like me, who has a hard time staying focused for more than about 30 seconds at a time, this is just about perfect.

This particular study takes a slightly different angle on the short burst aerobic exercise story.  Here are the details:

  • 18 boys (aged 8-12), of which nine were overweight and nine normal weight boys
  • On 3 separate mornings these boys performed cycling exercises
  • 2 groups: 30 min of continuous cycling or sprint interval (continuous cycling with four-second maximal sprints every two minutes)
  • Exercise was followed by a buffet-like breakfast to measure post-exercise energy intake

So basically, both groups were doing the 30 minute cycling, but 1/2 the boys kicked up the pace for a mere 4 seconds every 2 minutes.  For the math challenged out there, that’s about 1 total minute of higher level exercise.

So what were the results from this 1 minute of faster cycling?

  • Fat burning was similar between both types of exercise
  • However, the interval group burned more calories but did NOT eat more at breakfast
  • The kids noted that they preferred the interval training more and did not find it any harder

So, basically, same time frames, same perceived level of exertion, more enjoyable and more calories burned.  Sounds like a winning program to me.

So, after reading these blog posts on short burst aerobic activity, how have you changed your workouts?  Or, even better, have you started an exercise routine because you now understand that it doesn’t always have to be 45-60 minutes of continuous activity?

SUGARY FOODS MAKES KIDS FAT – (04-24-06)

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Effects of Decreasing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption on Body Weight in Adolescents

Geezzz!! This definitely goes into the “How much did we spend on THAT????” category. Why do we see study after study after study confirming what the average American citizen with an IQ high enough to vote already knows? TV makes kids fat. Junk food makes kids fat. Not enough exercise makes kids fat. Sugary foods makes kids fat. So, with all of this, why is there a national dilemma with society throwing up there hands in ignorance of why obesity is climbing in our children??

Read entire article here

HIGH HEALTH RISKS DROP AFTER WEIGHT LOSS IN OBESE CHILDREN – (09-29-05)

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High-sensitive C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and cardiovascular risk factors before and after weight loss in obese children

None of this information should come as a big surprise, but it can serve as a reminder of how devastating obesity is to our systems. Begin the process of increased inflammation and elevated insulin in children, and I really do not want to think of the long term ramifications of these alterations.

These children will start out their life with drastically increased risk of chronic diseases. And, while this may sound harsh, the blame falls largely on the shoulders of the parents I think this is something we have been afraid to admit, but it is truly. The dietary habits children pick up is a direct reflection of parental lifestyles.

Read entire article here

TEENAGE ACNE AND DAIRY INTAKES – (07-11-05)

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High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne

Okay.  Listen to the commercials and drink lots of milk so you can squeeze into that size 3 for Prom.  I keep listening to the commercials, but I don’t ever hear the disclaimer mentioning that it’s a good thing Prom is usually in a darkened room to hide all that excess acne.  But seriously, does research like this make anyone fully confident that dairy products are absolutely wonderful a solution to today’s obesity problems in kids?

Read entire article here

Vitamin D During Pregnancy Helps Childhood Obesity Statistics

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Childhood obesity statistics are clearly increasing. The causes are many, but some stand out. Some actually start in pregnancy and can be very easy to address.

After a child is born, there are many factors that have been proven to affect childhood obesity.  Things like:

But can factors that occur during pregnancy be playing a role in rising childhood obesity statistics?

Mom’s diet and exercise levels during pregnancy are obviously critical as well as the avoidance of every possible pharmaceutical drug possible.  In adults, there have been links between something as simple as vitamin D levels and obesity.  As it turns out, this relationship may also play a strong role when vitamin D is used during pregnancy.

This particular study looked at the levels of vitamin D in pregnancy and the risk of their child being obese or overweight 6 years later.  There was a clear correlation, with those moms having higher levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream being less likely to have 6 year olds with too much body fat.  The authors suggest that vitamin D may play a role in the early programming of fat cells while the infant is still in the womb developing.

So this generally shouldn’t be a problem, right?  Most women are taking prenatals, and prenatals have vitamin D in them, right??

Most prescription prenatal vitamins have a mere 400 IU.  Not the mention the fact that ever one I have ever looked at are of very low quality and ridiculously expensive (although many pregnant women do not realize the true cost because of insurance coverage).  Combine this knowledge with studies that have shown that many newborns and their moms are deficient in vitamin D and you’ve got quite a potential mess.  A good dose of vitamin D during pregnancy usually starts around 2,000 IU per day and may go higher depending upon skin color, body mass index and latitude.

The bottom line is that, if you are pregnant or considering getting pregnant, supplemental vitamin D is probably a very good idea.

If you are pregnant or have had a baby, were you aware that taking supplemental vitamin D during pregnancy is a very good idea?  What other measures have you taken to ensure that your child will maintain an ideal body weight?

Breastfeeding vs Bottle Feeding – New Findings

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There has always been debate on the breastfeeding vs bottle feeding topic.  Clearly, 100 years ago this was not a discussion.  Hence the term “wet nurse.”

Beginning in the 20’s and 30’s, formula feeding became more popular as a result of lowered costs and better production methods.  By the end of WWII, breastfeeding rates were down to 20% and the American public was completely drinking the Kool Aid of formula being even better than breastmilk.  At times, the La Leche League seemed to be the sole voice supporting nursing as a needed benefit to the baby.

Over the years, manufacturers have slowly added things into formula.  DHA, ARA and probiotics have only recently been added based on evidence of their benefit to newborn and infants.  I remember the first time that I came to understand that certain probiotic bacteria end up in breastmilk–I was incredulous, to say the least.  The steps that are required to actively put bacteria from mom’s gut into breastmilk are quite lengthy.  Few things tell me more strongly that Mother Nature wants those bacteria in our system than their presence in breastmilk.

So how many other nutrients are in breastmilk that we have not yet discovered?  Only time will tell, but we do have a new one to add to the list.

Visfatin is a hormone that is produced by fat cells and is believed to play a role in the protection against diabetes, although it’s complete role is not yet fully understood.

This particular study found much higher levels of visfatin in breast milk than is normally found in the bloodstream.  Since visfatin may play a role in diabetes and body weight, the authors suggest that this compound may play a strong role in the development of healthy weight gain in the infant.

Whether or not this plays out, it is yet another example of just how little we know about the human body.  In generally, the more we rely on the way our bodies were designed (i.e. nursing), the less problems we are going to have.  Period.

This is not to point a disparaging fingers at mothers who do not breast feed, but every effort needs to be undertaken to nurse for the first 6 months.  Some women truly have difficulties, but some just choose not to nurse.  This is a decision for the baby, not for you.

If you are a mother who nursed your child, what difficulties did you encounter and how did you overcome them?

Yes, your kid is overweight: Weighing the cons

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Odds are, you are not correct in estimating your toddler’s weight.  Maybe it’s denial.  Maybe it’s because your child’s peers are likely a similar weight.  Whatever the reason, it’s still highly likely you’re not correct in estimating whether your toddler is of optimal weight.

The fact that obesity rates are rising should come as no shocker.  But it’s hard to look in your own backyard and see this occurring.  Much easier to look at the mother of 5 overweight kids in line at Wal-Mart buying 6 2-liters of Coke and the bonus size of Oreos.

Weight aside, how many of our ideal-weight children are actually healthy?  There was much dismay several years ago here in AZ when the state budget constraints were going to necessitate cutbacks (or freezes to growth, depending on which political party had the microphone).  But really–how much medical care should kids need??  The answer, with the exception of a small percentage of child with health challenges not easily remedied with lifestyle changes, is very little.

But with poorer lifestyle choices comes poorer health and increased utilization of medical care.  The link between obesity and chronic medical conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses is strong.  Worse, chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer clearly begin in the pre-adolescent and teen years.

So, let’s make this clear.  If your child is overweight (not even obese) they are being set up for a lifetime of sickness and disease.  It can’t be any more clear.  It is not merely an esthetic issue; rather, it is the beginning of the breakdown in health that will extend for decades to come.

So why would a parent NOT make the right choices for their child if the child is overweight?  According to this particular study, the reason is that 86% of mothers of overweight toddlers underestimated their child’s weight.

Other interesting observations:

  • Mom’s of underweight toddlers were 913% more likely to be accurate
  • 81.7% of mothers of overweight toddlers were satisfied with their toddler’s body size
  • On the other hand, only 30% of mothers of underweight toddlers were likely to be satisfied

Overall, there is a clear perception problem.  Almost all of the mothers of overweight toddlers in this study think their child’s weight is ok, and almost all of them were satisfied with their child’s weight.  Maybe the idea of a cute, plump baby and subsequent toddler used to be ok, but when this represents the beginning of health risks, it’s time for society to rethink this cultural norm.

So, if parents of overweight children do not think their child is overweight, there is no impetus for lifestyle changes.  If you have a toddler, preschooler or school aged child at home, take a hard look at them and try to be objective and ask yourself if your child is as healthy as he or she could be.