According to a 2010 report in JAMA, approximately 1/3 of adults are overweight. This translates to 30% of the adult population having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. Unfortunately, this trend seems to be filtering down to future generations. It is estimated that 16% of our children, aged 2-19 yearss, are obese. 30% of youths have a BMI greater than the 85th percentile for their age group. Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled in adults and tripled in children and the upward trend seems to be the most for the heaviest boys aged 6-19 years.
The CDC is calling obesity an epidemic. I’m calling it scary. In 2000, obesity-related health care costs totaled an estimated $117 billion. Here are just some of the health consequences of obesity:
Coronary heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Dyslipidemia (high total cholesterol or high levels
of triglycerides)
Stroke
Liver and gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and underlying bone within a joint)
Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)
Below are some summary’s from recent publications on how our foods effect our youth’s health:
1. Metabolic syndrome– characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, blood lipid elevations, and insulin resistance.
All of these are the results of consuming highly processed foods.
According to The Lancet (2001;357:505-508) & Dr. Mercola: For every soft drink or sugar-sweetened beverage a child drinks every day, their obesity risk appears to jump 60%. About 65% of adolescent girls and 74% of adolescent boys consume soft drinks daily. Currently, soft drinks constitute the leading source of added sugars in the diet, amounting to 36.2 grams daily for adolescent girls and 57.7 grams for boys. What this means is we are consuming more nutrient poor foods and higher empty calories.
2. Mood imbalances and Effects on Brain Health
A study in the International Review of Psychiatry demonstrated the dangers of low healthy fats in youths from high trans fat diets:
“Summary: Mechanisms by which aggressive and depressive disorders may be exacerbated by nutritional deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids are considered. Early developmental deficiencies in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may lower serotonin levels at critical periods of neurodevelopment and may result in a cascade of suboptimal development of neurotransmitter systems limiting regulation of the limbic system by the frontal cortex. Residual developmental deficits may be manifest as dysregulation of sympathetic responses to stress including decreased heart rate variability and hypertension, which in turn have been linked to behavioral dysregulation. Little direct data are available to disentangle residual neurodevelopmental effects from reversible adult pathologies. Ensuring optimal intakes of omega-3 fatty acids during early development and adulthood shows considerable promise in preventing aggression and hostility.”
What this study demonstrated is that without proper DHA and EPA ratios in the brain, the brain will not work effectively. Synapses for neurotransmitter transmission and memory function will deteriorate. Furthermore, you need Omega 3s for the formation of sex hormones, blood sugar regulation, and coQ10 (an enzyme responsible for cellular energy, heart health, and antioxidant power). A recent study highlighted that the lack of coQ10 in children leads to headaches.
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