What are the effects of childhood obesity?

With childhood obesity growing and creating life-threatening conditions that will plague our children's lives; we are endangering the lives of our children. We must begin to focus on this epidemic. Gerald S. Berenson, M.D., of Tulane University studied 14,000 children and young adults, making it the longest and most detailed study of children in the world. Dr. Berenson says half of these kids will die of heart disease if they continue their current lifestyle. Autopsies of children who died in accidents found that fatty streaks in their aorta began developing by age 3, and the damage showed up in the coronary arteries by age 10.

The determinants of long-term health, food preferences and eating behavior, are decided in childhood. We establish our eating patterns in childhood, and they are very difficult to change in adulthood. Richard Strauss, M.D., director of the Childhood Weight Control Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is concerned about the latest statistics that show one in five kids is overweight and one in eight children is obese. Our overweight children have become an urgent national health problem.

Statistics from 2010 collected by the CDC concluded that 16% of children aged 2-19 years are obese and 30% have BMIs greater than the 85th percentile. Obesity rates doubled in adults and tripled in children since 1980 with boys aged 6-19 years being the most effected. The numbers keep increasing. Fat is an active organ that produces hormones which increase inflammation and higher levels of estrogen in the body. 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)
• Lipid disorders (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)

One result of increased obesity among children is an associated increase in rates of type 2 diabetes, which used to be seen solely in adulthood. For children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, early intervention and treatment are a must. The sooner the family learns what the child needs to eat and how to manage all other aspects of the disease, the better off the child will be.

In fact, the entire family should consider eating in the same fashion as the child, because managing type 2 diabetes involves moderation, variety, and balance. Physical activity is also a major part of managing diabetes, and everyone can take part in this as well.

Taking a family walk or bike ride after dinner and enjoying weekend games of basketball or tennis instead of turning on the TV are excellent ways to teach the importance of physical activity. The child is more likely to feel supported and succeed with keeping his or her diabetes under control if everyone in the family is educated about what to do to help.