Childhood Obesity: Mrs. Obama, Here is the Solution

The first lady, Michelle Obama, has launched a very ambitious plan to end the American plague of childhood obesity in a single generation. I applaud her for this herculean task.

“We want to eliminate this problem of childhood obesity in a generation. We want to get that done," the first lady told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts in an exclusive morning television interview. "We want our kids to face a different and more optimistic future in terms of their lifespan."

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The first lady, Michelle Obama, has launched an
ambitious program to combat childhood obesity.

The far-reaching, nationwide campaign called "Let's Move" calls for a myriad initiatives that target what Mrs. Obama calls four key pillars: Getting parents more informed about nutrition and exercise, improving the quality of food in schools, making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families, and focusing more on physical education. This is a great idea and I wish Mrs. Obama luck with this initiative.

"We all know the numbers," said Mrs. Obama. "I mean, one in three kids is overweight or obese, and we're spending $150 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses. So we know this is a problem, and there's a lot at stake."

At a recent meeting of governors, Mrs. Obama sought their support for her program to tackle childhood obesity, but the only support she really needs is someone much closer to her: the President. And the solution is relatively easy, but do the Obama’s have the courage to tackle it?

The real cause of the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes in America is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a man-made chemical added to just about every processed food. This poison interferes with your hormones (this is the way your body communicates at a cellular level) and prevents your brain from telling you that you are full and need to stop eating.

If you consider that of all the money spent on food in the USA, ninety percent (yes, 90%!) is spent on processed food, devoid of any fiber or nutrition and chock full of HFCS.

Educating parents and exercise is part of the solution, but it's unlikely to help much if you keep eating processed food that contains neurotoxic chemicals designed to make you eat more. BANNING HFCS will win the war against childhood obesity and diabetes – it will kill two birds with one stone.

Banning HFCS will not be easy – there are too many “vested interests” and the food and pharmaceutical companies will no doubt have a lot to say, but the President needs to do this. If ever he (and for that matter, the first lady) wants to leave behind a legacy of note, then THIS IS IT. It will save millions of people from a lifetime of suffering, not to mention the billions of dollars in wasted and unnecessary medical bills.

President Obama appointed the new head of the FDA. It’s time he put pressure on her to do the right thing. The health of the nation depends on it.


* Source: Getty Images

Strong Link Between Childhood Obesity and Premature Death

According to government figures, 32 percent of American children and adolescents are overweight or obese.

The results of a recently concluded study on childhood obesity were published in The New England Journal. The results are troubling, but certainly not surprising.

Obese children have more than double the risk of
premature death due to natural causes.

The study found that the heaviest quarter of participants had more than double the risk of premature death due to natural causes – such as heart disease, cancer, alcoholic liver disease, diabetes and infections – than those whose body mass index put them in the lowest quartile of the population.

Parents should take note that when they take their children to the doctor for a check up, their child’s blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels can all be fine, but if their child is obese, it’s the obesity that needs to be addressed since this is the cause of premature death.

The researchers wrote: “Our observations, combined with those of other investigators, suggest that failure to reverse this trend may have wide-reaching consequences for the quality of life and longevity. Such evidence underscores the importance of preventing obesity starting in the early years of life.”

You can read the full story here: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/362/6/485

Some Relief for Cancer Patients

A non-profit organization based in Dallas is cleaning up – literally – for cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Cleaning for Cancer is the brainchild of Laporsha Williams, a young Dallas woman whose compassion for the sick and elderly is quite remarkable.

Laporsha, who has been in the cleaning business for eight years, felt that she wanted to help those who were struggling to help themselves, particularly those patients going through the trauma of cancer treatment.

The mission of Cleaning for Cancer is to provide cancer patients with a free professional housekeeping or maid service during the period of their cancer treatment.

“We are passionate about our mission. It’s our way of showing support and sharing the load, one room at a time,” says Laporsha.

Study Links Energy Drinks to Heart Attack Risk

Energy drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years. In fact, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, but it appears that these drinks could also expose you to a greater risk of heart attack.

Scientists at the University of Adelaide, Australia, looked at the impact of consuming one 250-ml energy drink on platelet and endothelial function (heart attack risk is strongly associated with platelet and endothelial dysfunction).

Red Bull says the study is old and disputes the findings

The researchers noted an increase in platelet aggregation, and an impairment of endothelial function, among study participants one hour after they drank the energy drink. A significant increase in arterial blood pressure was also recorded but there was no significant change in heart rate.

The scientists said it remains uncertain which ingredients are responsible for their findings and that more research was needed.

A spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation agreed. “This research showed blood changes in young people, but we cannot say from the study that this would lead to any heart problems occurring. However the study does illustrate the urgent need for further research in this area.”

Many energy drinks contain multiple stimulants that are not identified, in addition to lots of sugar and caffeine (a diuretic). They can cause dehydration, especially if mixed with alcohol and now they have been linked to possible heart attack as well.

Most sensible people have known for a long time that energy drinks can be dangerous if consumed in quantities. Why does the FDA not enforce stricter standards for energy drinks and other so-called functional food?

For the most part, these foods are better described as dysfunctional. It’s time the FDA woke up and started protecting the consumer. Is this not why they were formed in the first place?

You can read the full article here: http://bit.ly/drPSu3

Vitamin Insufficiency is Boosting Age-related Diseases: Prof. Bruce Ames

The world-reknown scientist, Professor Bruce Ames (from the University of California, Berkeley) has developed a “triage theory” that could have enormous implications for human health.

The word “triage” is from the French word trier meaning to sort, separate, or select.

Micronutrient deficiencies could trigger age-related diseases.

In the context of human health, Prof. Ames believes that natural selection favors short-term survival over the long-term and that our body’s short-term survival is achieved by prioritising the allocation of scarce micronutrients. In other words, if you have a shortage of micronutrients in a major organ (such as the heart, for example) then your body will pull those necessary nutrients from non-essential sources.

This theory was first proposed in 2006 to explain why age-related diseases like heart disease, cancer, and dementia may be unintended consequences of mechanisms developed during evolution to protect against episodic vitamin/mineral shortages.

Although Prof. Ames is applying the theory to micronutrient deficiency, the idea is not new. Triage is precisely what the body does when it is attempting to balance your blood pH – it will draw alkaline reserves from a part of your body, sometimes leaving the latter in an acidic state. And if organs are left in an acidic state for prolonged periods, this is when disease can set in.

“If this hypothesis is correct, micronutrient deficiencies that trigger the triage response would accelerate cancer, aging, and neural decay but would leave critical metabolic functions, such as ATP production, intact,” explained Prof. Ames in the Proceedings of the National, Academy of Sciences.

“My triage theory makes sense,” says Prof. Ames. “And it is almost certainly going to be right.”

Professor Ames is also a senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI).

You can read the full story here: http://bit.ly/9CZoAv