Abdominal fat in children

This was reported at emaxhealth.com, medscape.com and a number of other medical and news stories:

"Abdominal obesity in childhood increased more than 65 percent among boys and almost 70 percent among girls between 1988 and 2004. The finding of growing girth is significant because abdominal obesity has emerged as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk than the more commonly used Body Mass Index, a weight to height ratio that can sometimes be misleading."

"According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2004, the percentage of 6- to 11 year-old children with high BMI scores rose about 25 percent (15.1 percent in 1999-2000 to 18.8 percent in 2003-04). But the increase in abdominal obesity of the same group over the same period was even more dramatic, more than 35 percent (14.2 percent in 1999-2000 to 19.2 percent in 2003-04)."

Turn off the TV and computer gaming and shoo them out the door.


The research appears in the November 2006, Vol. 118, of the journal Pediatrics. Stephen Cook MD is the author.

Could we have a defintion please?

Or is this like porn. We know it if we see it? Look at this survey question done for the Kaiser Family Foundation about obesity in children.

"Please tell me if you would support or oppose each of the following. Do you support or oppose...the federal government regulating television ads for junk food and fast food that are aimed at children and teens the way they do for cigarettes and alcohol?"

I think I know a cigarette (even when promoted by a camel in a cartoon) or a bottle of beer when I see it, but what is "junk food," and what is "fast food?"

McDonald's is called a fast food restaurant. I can choose a lovely apple-walnut dish with yogurt, or a chicken cob salad, or a sausage biscuit. Are these "junk"; are they any "faster" than eating at a Mom and Pop grill because McDonald's has devised an efficient method of feeding large crowds? And what about sugar or chocolate coated cereal or sugery 10% fruit drink blends from mom's refrigerator? Is that junk; is that fast?

In this survey done in Feb. 2004, 53% of the 1,017 national adult sample strongly or somewhat supported federal controls, and 43% strongly or somewhat opposed federal controls.

We do need to control the settings on the TV; but even more so, purchasing and access to snacks--whether they come from a fast food restaurant or the kitchen pantry.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a new report on advertising embedded in children's programming. It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children -- Report. There is a summary, the full report and a news release available at the site.

Overweight or obese?

Today, 64.5 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to the WIN (Weight Control Information Network, a government site. How do you know if you are among them? This site gives 2 measures, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, for estimates of overweight, obesity, and body fat distribution. Using their calculation, my BMI is 23.02. The government doesn't seem to care about buttocks or thunder thighs. Women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches or men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have a higher disease risk than people with smaller waist measurements because of where their fat lies, according to WIN.



When Dr. Oz appeared on Oprah's show last week he said, "Fat around your legs and thighs is relatively harmless, but fat around your waist can lead to serious medical problems." Thanks, doc. Where have you been all my life?

Instead of the number on the scale, Dr. Oz says to focus on the your waist measurement. The ideal waistline for women is 32 and a half inches and 35 inches for a man. In the Oprah Show audience 47 percent of women and 93 percent of men were over the ideal waist size. That surprised me, because I usually perceive women as heavier than men. Must be looking at the wrong part of the body! My waist is about 28.

Benefits of drinking water

Although I'm sipping a glass of water while I write this, I'm putting it on my blog as a reminder: water is important for weight loss. This comes from Weight Loss Fantasy, and I'm not familiar with the site, but it sounds right, doesn't it?

Drinking ample amounts of water is the best treatment for water retention. When the body doesn’t consume enough water it goes into starvation mode and starts holding on to every drop. Water retention can be bothersome and shows up as:

* Swollen feet
* Swollen hands
* Swollen legs

Diuretics are simple solution with short term effects and while it forces out the retained water it is also forcing out essential nutrients that your body needs. The easy solution is consuming the amount of water your body requires.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving your muscles their natural ability to contract by preventing dehydration. Water also helps to prevent sagging skin that is usually present after weight loss. During weight loss your body has more waste to get rid of and ample amounts of water help to flush out the waste.

Water can help relieve constipation. When the body isn’t consuming enough water, it starts taking what it needs from other sources and the colon is just one of those spots. The result ends in painful constipation.

The body does not function properly without water and it can’t metabolize stored fat properly. Retained weight piles on as excess weight. To rid your body of excess water you must drink more water. Water is essential to weight loss and staying healthy.

Dieting
weight loss
Fitness