"Our Children are the most overfed and undernourished children in the world. They really are..."
-Ari Babaknia, M.D.
LAWS NEEDED FOR CHILDREN'S DIETS
Published: 2003/02/26 03:52:27
Story from BBC NEWS:
New laws are needed to prevent children suffering because of unhealthy diets, according to a new report.
A ban on marketing fatty, salty and sugary products at youngsters is one of the options supported by the study from the Food Commission campaign group.
It also backs those calling for a nationwide promotion of healthy foods and a possible "fat tax" on junk food advertising.
The report, which has been published by the Consumers' Association watchdog, urges firms to limit the use of salt, sugars, artificial flavouring and colouring in products aimed at children.
'Vulnerable
Kath Dalmeny, author of the report, said food and drink companies have particular responsibility to act
"Whatever the claims of the food industry, it is responsible for creating a climate that encourages unhealthy food choices," she said in the report.
"Children are especially vulnerable, but also especially targeted by companies that exploit a wide range of marketing practices to encourage consumption of their products."
The Food Commission also supports calls to designate schools as "advertising free zones" after concern at the way some food and drink companies are targeting youngsters through endorsement deals.
Darren Neville, editor of Consumer Policy Review, said: "At the moment children are being treated by the food industry as potential consumers and as a source of pressure on parents and families to buy certain products.
"They are bombarded with marketing and advertising for what are often unhealthy foods.
"Food marketing currently promotes a grossly distorted image of what should constitute a child's diet."
'Responsible
But Martin Paterson, deputy director general of industry body the Food and Drink Federation, said food and drink companies took a responsible view of their relationships with children.
"There are already codes of practice governing children's advertising and these state that ads should not encourage children to eat or drink frequently throughout the day, condone excessive consumption, or suggest that confectionery or snacks should replace balanced meals.
"Manufacturers use advertising and marketing to promote the many thousands of brands in a competitive marketplace.
"This can, in fact, help parents and children to build a healthy diet from the wide range of wholesome and tasty foods available."
A survey by the Food Commission in 2000 discovered that out of 358 foods marketed to children, 77% contained high levels of sugar, salt or saturated fat. Back to top
STUDY: 8.8 MILLION YOUTH OBESE
Usa Today- January 1, 2003
DALLAS (AP) - A new report shows that more than 15% of children and adolescents ages 6-19 are considered overweight or obese.
The 2003 update of the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics released Tuesday shows that 15.3% of 6 to 11-year-olds and 15.5% of 12 to 19-year-olds weigh too much. (Related site: AHA americanheart.org)
That's a dramatic increase from statistics published five years earlier that showed 11.3% of 6 to 11-year-olds and 10.5% of 12 to 19-year-olds were considered overweight. The AHA report is based on previously released data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity has been shown to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Physicians say the statistics may help dispel the myth that heart disease only affects older people.
"When it comes to cardiovascular disease, myths that promote complacency promote disease," said Dr. David Goff, chair of the AHA's statistics committee.
Bonow said more children are starting to develop adult diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.
"These are little time bombs being turned on too early," he said. "If unattended, it will lead to an increase in problems when the kids are in their 30s and 40s."
Bonow said 6.5% of children ages 6-11 were overweight or obese 20 years ago, along with 5% of youths ages 12-19.
The dramatic rise is due to a combination of factors, he said, including less physical activity and more fat and calorie intake. While children spend more time in front of televisions and computer screens, fewer schools mandate physical education. And restaurant promotions to "supersize" meals encourage high-fat and high-calorie diets.
The number of overweight children has reached epidemic proportions, and fat children are likely to become fat adults, said Sarah Blumenschein, assistant professor of cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
"If you're overweight by age 5, you've got an 80% risk of being overweight as an adult" and susceptible to illnesses such as heart disease, she said.
The AHA report also examines the correlation between physical activity and heart disease. People who are inactive are 1.5 to 2.4 times more likely to develop heart disease.
The association found that just over half of high school students were enrolled in physical education classes in 2001. However, only a third attended classes daily.
Physical inactivity is more prevalent among women than men, and among blacks and Hispanics more so than among whites.
For example, the data shows that by age 15 or 16, 56% of black girls say they are physically inactive during leisure time. About 31% of white girls say they are physically inactive.
The association reports that the estimated annual cost of treating obesity-related diseases is about $100 billion.
About $127 million per year is spent treating overweight children and adolescents.
Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of obese Americans almost doubled, rising from 11.6 to 20.1%. Back to top
The resolution will also create a school nutrition task force whose objective will be finding ways to eliminate unhealthy levels of fat, sugar and salt from breakfasts and lunches served in cafeterias. The resolution was sponsored by outgoing board President Jill Wynns and Commissioner Dan Kelly.
"The goal here is to begin looking at our school nutrition policy broadly in order to make it better," said Kelly, a pediatrician. "We need to make sure that all the choices available are good ones."
School districts in Oakland and Los Angeles also have banned junk food and soft drinks, and Sacramento schools are considering doing the same. But San Francisco's resolution would only eliminate sodas and snacks sold in cafeterias, not those in vending machines or student stores, a problem that will have to be addressed by the task force.
Paula Baum, a school district nurse, told the board she has seen students "eating candy before breakfast in the morning. . . . We have to consider the costs to the health of our students if we don't proceed ahead."
There has been little opposition to the proposal, but it has been criticized as short-sighted by the soft drink industry, which has become increasingly alarmed as more districts consider similar bans. "We are in agreement that obesity among children is a problem, but we feel very strongly that banning soft drinks will have no impact on that problem," said Sean McBride, a spokesman for the National Soft Drinks Association. "If (board members) want to be constructive in addressing obesity, they should focus on more nutrition education and daily physical education classes."
The meeting began with an election to replace the outgoing board president. As expected, former Muni chief Emilio Cruz won by a 4-3 vote with the support of Chris Mar, Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson.
But not before commissioners Wynns, Kelly and Eddie Chin made a last-ditch effort to convince the board to choose Kelly. Several speakers before Tuesday's meeting also had pleaded with the board to support Kelly, a four-term board member. They questioned Cruz's attendance record and commitment to education. Since he was appointed to the board in 2001, Cruz has missed 25 out of 58 various board meetings while Kelly only missed three.
But Cruz said he would take the appointment seriously. "I feel small in this seat," he said. "There are big shoes to fill." Among other items to be voted on by the board Tuesday night was a controversial anti-war resolution sponsored by commissioners Eric Mar and Mark Sanchez. The original resolution called for promoting a districtwide anti-war rally and creating a curriculum culled from the resources of anti-war groups to be used from kindergarten on up. But even before the board meeting, the resolution was hit with a wave of criticism. Mar and Sanchez decided to submit a softened version of the resolution that deleted mention of the rally, listed the organizations in a separate attachment as possible resources and allowed the district to determine age-appropriate guidelines.
The resolution includes a clause that would allow students, teachers and staff members who object to the program to decline to participate. But the revisions weren't good enough to many parents who spoke out at the meeting against the district's involvement in a political issue.
Back to top
Better nutrition reduces obesity
Healthy habits need to be promoted among youth
THE DESERT SUN
February 21, 2003
With 61 percent of America's adults and 13 percent of its children overweight, it is time to engage in a new kind of war -- fighting obesity.
Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, has introduced legislation aimed at reducing the problem by encouraging physical activity and good nutrition. Majority Leader Bill Frist plans to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
The bill, the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act, would provide about $150 million to help schools develop nutritional programs and conduct campaigns to promote healthy habits among teens.
Teenagers are considered ground zero in this particular war. The detrimental combination of sofa, soda and Sega-type games has taken its toll on America's youth, and the reposeful lifestyle is manifesting itself in myriad negative ways:
More than three-fourths of California students who took the latest school fitness test failed.
Nationally, the presence of Type 2 diabetes has doubled in children during the past five years.
The percentage of children who are obese has doubled in the past 20 years.
Bono's bill recognizes significant health problems associated with obesity including heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and addresses those problems by encouraging better nutrition and more physical activity.
Diabetes is one of the most serious health problems facing the world today, according to the National Institutes of Health. In the United States each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Increasingly, health care providers are finding more and more children and teens with Type 2 diabetes, a disease usually seen in people over age 40.
African-American, Latino and American Indian children who are obese and have a family history of Type 2 diabetes are at especially high risk for this type of diabetes. Part of the plan to keep diabetes under control is to follow a healthy meal plan, which is at the heart of Bono's legislation. The legislation, dubbed IMPACT, is as important for what it does as for what it doesn't do. IMPACT does not address the issue of physical education classes being cut from schools. Nor should it.
There's nothing wrong with expectations in the field of fitness, but government ought not be in the business of mandating physical education requirements. Moreover, engaging youth in physical fitness should not be the sole burden of schools.
There is no legitimate reason for youths not to get exercise. There are ample intramural sports programs available, as well as outdoor skate parks, Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA and a host of other programs for youths to burn off energy and get exercise. Parents must shoulder much of the responsibility for their child's physical activity. They must learn to set rules in the house regarding how much time children are allowed to watch television, play video games and surf the Internet. Back to top
'A LA CARTE' School LUNCHES UNDER FIRE FOOD FROM MACHINES ALSO CRITICIZED AT HEARING IN CONGRESS
Dan Freedman, Hearst Newspapers
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Washington -- In the latest salvo in the war on childhood obesity, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin took aim Tuesday at what nutrition experts identify as two chief culprits: school vending machines and cafeteria "a la carte" lines that regularly serve pizza and burgers.
"School vending machines and 'a la carte' counters are filled with products from companies that seem determined to super-size everything and everybody," Harkin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said during a hearing on the $6.4 billion National School Lunch Program administered by the Department of Agriculture.
"How in the world does a healthy, balanced meal stand a fair chance against billions of dollars worth of marketing?" Harkin asked, adding: "In the absence of any alternative, we should ban school vending machines and regulate a la carte sales."
The congressional hearings come after actions by three major California school districts to reduce junk food on campus. A year ago, the Oakland school board banned all sales of soda and candy in vending machines and in cafeterias.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest, followed suit in August with a less restrictive policy that prohibits the sale of carbonated drinks during school hours. And in January, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to eliminate the sale of sodas and unhealthy snacks throughout all of the district's 114 schools beginning this fall, despite the fact that the move could leave the food nutrition program $500,000 in the red.
Tuesday's hearing was the first in a series in the Senate and House as Congress decides whether to renew the 57-year-old school lunch program, which expires this year.
With the nation focused on an epidemic of youthful obesity -- there are three times as many overweight adolescents as in 1980 -- school lunch has become a prime battlefield over kids' infatuation with high-fat and high-sugar foods and beverages.
Previous attempts in Congress to control soft drinks in schools have failed.
A la carte food sales of burgers, tacos and other treats are extremely popular with kids, particularly in junior high and high school. Under federal rules, these foods are sold outside the school lunch program and are ineligible for federal reimbursement.
But because kids pay retail rates for these items, a la carte programs pump cash into school districts struggling to find new revenue. Under the law governing school lunches, the government reimburses schools for every lunch served that meets the program's nutritional guidelines. Barry Sackin, vice president of American School Food Service Association, which lobbies for greater funding for the school lunch program, said after the hearing that schools needed higher rates of federal reimbursement in order to abandon lunch programs' dependence on a la carte sales.
Federal reimbursement rates now range from $2.14 for low-income students entitled by law to a free lunch to 20 cents for students who pay full price. In its testimony, the American School Food Service Association asked for $1 billion in extra school-lunch funding next year. But senators expressed skepticism.
"We're in record deficits now," Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said. "And we see we'll be running deficits this whole decade."
Chronicle staff writer Kim Severson contributed to this report.
©2003 San Francisco Chronicle Back to top
SENATOR PROPOSES CRACKDOWN ON JUNK-FOOD JUNKIES
The Associated Press 3/17/03
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- A state senator has sponsored a bill that would place nutritional restrictions on foods available at school, so children won't be tempted to eat chocolate instead of fruits and vegetables.
Sen. Bill Morrisette, D-Springfield, and others are concerned because obesity is growing at epidemic levels nationwide.
A National Health and Nutrition Examination survey done in 1999 showed that 15 percent of children and adolescents were overweight, nearly double the number in 1980.
"Kids could conceivably get a Coke and a candy bar, and that's their lunch," Morrisette said.
At West Albany High School, the four vending machines in the student center -- one for chips and candy bars, the other for sodas, juice drinks and water -- are turned off during lunch, but pop and chips are available through the center's a la carte window.
At other times during the day, various student groups sell snacks as fund-raisers, including doughnuts and Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.
The cookies are the best part, said sophomore Tracie DeYoung, who is partial to the sugar kind with the pink frosting.
"They need that cookie tray," DeYoung stressed.
Morrisette is working with a Portland advocacy group, Upstream Public Health, on an amended version of Senate Bill 651, which is currently in the House education committee. Right now, the bill states that all food served at school must meet the same standards as the federal school meals program.
"Oregon schools should not be in the business of selling unhealthy products to children," said Raquel Bournhonesque, chairwoman of Upstream Public Health.
Oregon is one of 31 states with no law governing food sold at school other than the regulations set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA's nutritional standards apply only to meals served in cafeterias under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
Outside food sales, whether through vending machines or a la carte windows, are big business. Salem schools, for instance, have a 10-year, $5 million contract with PepsiCo.
In February, Albany's Memorial Middle School gave Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. of Corvallis exclusive "pouring rights" in exchange for $6,000 and 25 percent of total commissions.
The pop concerns Bournhonesque more than the pizza. Her group would allow only milk, water and juice.
For foods, the group is considering a standard that would allow only 35 percent of an item's calories to come from fat, with only 10 percent of those calories coming from saturated fat, and sugar content not exceeding 35 percent.
The group has two problems, though. Children like the junk food and the districts like money.
In Corvallis, food sold outside the cafeteria helps pay for food sold inside it, says Joanne Keesee, director of food and nutrition services.
"Yes, we do have a la carte windows that serve a la carte items, which includes fresh fruit, bagels, sandwiches, jerky, yogurt, fruit drinks, as well as chips and cookies, etc.," she said. "And yes, without the a la carte and 'other sales,' we could not afford to offer a federal meal program like we do now to all children." Back to top
NEW EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY SOY AND FLAXSEED HAVE POSITIVE EFFECT ON OBESITY AND DIABETES
The phytoestrogens in both soy and flaxseed could help fight obesity and diabetes, according to studies presented at the meeting of the American Physiological Society in New Orleans, Louisiana held April 20-24, 2002 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Using a genetic model of obesity and diabetes mellitus, researchers have examined the effects of dietary soybean and flaxseed.
New Orleans, Louisiana - April 22, 2002 - Obesity and diabetes mellitus are two nutritional disorders that have become major public health concerns in industrialized countries because of their epidemic proportions and association with major cardiovascular risk factors that are responsible for excess morbidity and mortality. Researchers are looking for ways to combat these diseases. Plant-based, edible compounds are one answer, an animal study finds.
Phytoestrogens: Soy and Flaxseed
Phytoestrogens are a group of biologically active plant-based compounds. Phytoestrogens are present in edible plants which can be classified as isoflavones, lignans and coumestaus. Soybean is an abundant source of isoflavones in the human diet, while flaxseed is the richest source of lignans.
The Effect of Dietary Soy-Protein and Flaxseed on Obesity and Diabetes
Earlier studies in obese animals and humans have suggested that soy, as a source of dietary protein, has significant anti-obesity effects. A study conducted in genetically obese mice found that soy protein and its hydrolsate were more effective than whey protein in weight reduction. This effect may be due to an active tetrapeptide present in soy. Several studies reported increased insulin sensitivity in rats fed isolated soy proteins compared with rats fed casein. A 37-kDa protein in soy appears to modulate insulin action on fat decomposition. Studies on the role of flaxseed and its components in obesity and diabetes in humans are limited.
Accordingly, a study entitled, "The Effects of Dietary Soybean and Flaxseed Meal on Metabolic Parameters in a Genetic Model of Obesity and Diabetes," has been conducted by:
Sam J. Bhathena, Ph.D., Phytonutrients Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Ali A. Ali, Food Science Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, Ali A. Mohamed, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, Carl T. Hansen, Veterinary Resources Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD and Manuel T. Velasquez, Department of Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
These investigators will present their findings during the American Physiological Society’s (APS) annual meeting, part of the "Experimental Biology 2002" conference. More than l2,000 attendees are attending the conference , which is being held April 20-24, 2002 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA.
Methodology
Lean and obese rats were fed diets containing either 20 percent casein or 20 percent isolated soybean protein or 20 percent flaxseed meal for 26 weeks. The lean rats were hypertensive while the obese rats showed symptoms of type II diabetes. Obese rats had significantly higher levels of plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
Results
Soy bean significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL in both lean and obese rats but had no significant effect on glucose.
Flaxseed decreased total cholesterol and triglycerids in both lean and obese rats, but it significantly decreased HDL-C and LDL-C only in obese rats. Flaxseed also decreased glucose in lean but not in obese rats and it had greater effect on various parameters than did soybean.
Soy bean and flaxseed affected plasma lipids and a number of enzymes. They also had varying effects on tissue weights in lean and obese rats. Obese rats compared to lean rats had significantly lower plasma creatinine but higher total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase. Both soy and flaxseed meal decreased total bilirubin, protein and uric acid in the lean rats, but the effects in obese rats were mixed.
Conclusions
These data suggest that diets rich in soy protein and flaxseed have beneficial effects on many aspects of obesity and diabetes.
SOURCE: The American Physiological Society (APS) is one of the world’s most prestigious organizations for physiological scientists. These researchers specialize in understanding the processes and functions underlying human health and disease. Founded in 1887 the Bethesda, MD-based Society has more than 10,000 members and publishes 3,800 articles in its 14 peer-reviewed journals each year.
Source:http://www.the-aps.org/Index.htm Back to top
OBESITY EPIDEMIC SET TO GET WORSE
By Patricia Reaney
Helsinki (Reuters) - Obesity has spiralled into a worldwide epidemic affecting 250 million adults but a leading nutritional expert believes the worst is still to come.
Overweight adolescents are on course to fuel an even bigger global health problem as they mature into obese adults, he says.
"The younger generation, the generation after us, will be even more obese than we are, which doesn't make the future look very promising," Dr. Mikael Fogelholm said in an interview.
The chairman of the 12th European Congress on Obesity, which begins in Helsinki on Thursday, said the prevalence of obesity among adolescents has increased more rapidly than among the middle-aged population.
"We can't expect that the present generation will die and we will have a lean generation," added Dr. Fogelholm, who is also the director of the independent UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research in Finland. A steady, and in some cases life-long, diet of high-fat fast foods and idle hours in front of the television and computer, has taken its toll on children.
"Most obese adults now had not been obese children," Fogelholm said. "They obtained their extra kilos (pounds) after they were 25 or 30 years old. But now we have more and more people who are already obese at the age of 10, 15 or 20.
"If the trend goes on, the future doesn't look better. It looks worse unless we can find a way to prevent obesity."
Along with expanding waistlines, being overweight or obese increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancer. In the United States, where over half of the adult population is obese or overweight, obesity costs about $93 billion a year in medical expenses. Elsewhere obesity rates range from two percent in some developing countries to 80 percent on remote Pacific Islands and about 20 percent in Western countries.
Fogelholm believes the solution to the problem must begin with changes that encourage people, and particularly youngsters, to get more exercise and to make healthy food choices. But he stressed that must include changes in how city centres are planned, how food is marketed and the sizes of portions in which it is served.
Ministries of transport, environment and education should be involved in health policies, he added.
"It's a complex phenomenon especially from a behavioural viewpoint," he said.
"If you think of smoking -- people either smoke or they don't smoke. But everyone has to eat and what they eat, how much and the amount of exercise they get make weight control a very complex behaviour."
About 1,500 doctors, nutritionists, researchers and geneticists are attending the conference which runs to June 1. Back to top
YOUNG CHILDREN SERVED LARGE PORTIONS MAY OVEREAT
By Charnicia E. Huggins
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving young children meals that outsize their age may lead to overeating -- but when left to their own devices, kids tend to choose age-appropriate serving sizes, new study findings show.
Researchers found that super-sizing preschoolers' entrees generally led the children to take bigger bites and consume more calories. But when kids were allowed to serve themselves, they naturally selected more age-appropriate portions.
"Given the alarming and growing problem of child obesity, the capacity of large portions to encourage overeating among young children is concerning," study author Dr. Jennifer Orlet Fisher told Reuters Health.
"The results of the study imply that minimizing children's exposure to excessive portions may prevent overeating," said Fisher, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (news -web sites)'s Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
One recent study found that meal portion sizes in the home and restaurants have jumped since the late 1970s in the U.S.
In the current study, Fisher and her team studied 30 preschool-aged children.
During two series of lunches the children were served either an age-appropriate portion of a macaroni-and-cheese entree or a portion twice as large.
The researchers found that, overall, the children ate about 25 percent more of the entree when they were served a larger portion than when they were served an age-appropriate amount.
Children took bigger bites when presented with the bigger entree and did not compensate by eating significantly less of the other foods served with it, Fisher and her colleagues report. The children's overall calorie intake at lunch was 15 percent higher when served the large entree.
In addition, the children's bite size increased along with increasing body mass index, a measure of a person's weight in relation to their height.
In another part of the study the children were allowed to serve themselves from bowls containing individual servings of the larger portion sizes. They were told to eat as little or as much as they wanted.
This time, the children did not overeat, the researchers found. They instead chose smaller portions and ate less than when they were served the larger portion size.
In light of the findings, Fisher suggested that children be served or encouraged to select "small 'first portions' with additional helping if (they) are still hungry."
"Also avoid the temptation of 'super-sizing'" when eating out, she added. "Such deals appear not to represent a good value for health."
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (news - web sites) 2003;77:1164-1170. Back to top
