Oct
26
2010
A new study from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center* found that Type 2 diabetes among adolescents has increased dramatically. Why? Well, it is related to the increasing rates of childhood obesity that we are seeing. With the rates of overweight and obese children rising, we are seeing the secondary medical problems that are surfacing-type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Additional problems such as arthritis, cancer, sleep difficulty and respiratory disorders will also be seen. And my friends this is not just a domestic issue. As adult and childhood obesity spreads throughout our world, we can expect these associated medical problems to increase as well. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)*, 1 billion adults are overweight; 300 million adults are obese; there are over 285 million people with diabetes and 42 million children in the world currently classified as overweight or obese with 22 million children under the age of five estimated to be overweight! By the year 2030, almost 500 million people world-wide will have diabetes. This is an epidemic!
What about in the United States? According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)*, one in three adults will have diabetes by the year 2050 and the rates of diabetes will double and even triple in that time period. Over 24 million Americans (adults and kids) have diabetes and 25 % of them don’t even know it! ...
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May
15
2010
Here we are, my friends, the Fat Police are ready to deliver governmental penalties for our body weight being out of proportion to societies specifications. Have we reached that point where we need new laws telling us that we are “fat”, “overweight,” “obese?” I guess we have. At least our congressional leaders feel that way. It’s not new. As pointed out in my last article, governments all over the world are proposing similar new laws and restrictions. Obesity is an epidemic and getting worse globally. According to recent statistics, 17 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 17.6 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are obese. 33 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 34 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are overweight. Obesity medical costs are estimated to have totaled $147 billion in 2008. Can you imagine what the costs will be in 2010?
Several new bills have been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives and you should all be aware of them:
A. H.R. 1585-The FIT kids ACT: passed the House of Representatives April 21, 2010, renews the emphasis on physical education in schools. The Act would work to ensure kids are active during the school day and are taught to be personally responsible for their health. The legislation would engage parents and the public by requiring all school districts and states to report on ...
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Apr
18
2010
Well, I am back my friends-after a brief but needed vacation. Actually I didn’t go anywhere. I just stayed home and paid bills, read mail, cleaned and organized my desk, went grocery shopping several times, caught up on my TIVO. You know, sometimes you just don’t have to go anywhere. It’s certainly cheaper. Anyway, I was having dinner with some friends and of course the topic of nutrition comes up. They all know what I do, so inevitably someone will start the conversation off about cholesterol, fats in the foods and childhood obesity. This time was bit different. After discussing the idea of where to begin nutrition and fitness education and deciding it was in preschool, we covered the BMI report card, the “Let’s Move” program by First Lady Michelle Obama, Jaime Oliver’s new show on ABC: “Food Revolution,” and ended with the buy an extra seat on the airlines for the obese traveler. But it didn’t end there. This discussion was more heated. Most of my friends have kids, and most of their kids are in the “okay” weight range-meaning that they are in the middle of the BMI range. Some of the kids are overweight and some are thin. And then it happened: one of my friends said that we will not get anywhere with the obesity problem unless there is government intervention. Everyone took a deep breath ...
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