Archive for the ‘teenagers & children’ Category

« Older Entries

Obesity Causes Early Puberty in Girls

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Officially called precocious puberty, early puberty is a condition where puberty in girls begins before age 8 and prior to age 9 for boys.

Puberty normally begins in girls between ages 8 and 12, and naturally in boys between the ages 9 and 14. The cause of early puberty is unknown, but there are risk factors.

Notable risk factors include being a girl, being African-American, exposure to sex hormones in certain creams and ointments, medical conditions like hypothyroidism, and being obese.

Data on early puberty in boys is much more scant.

As for the connection between obesity and early puberty, a new review of more than 100 studies, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that overweight girls tend to reach puberty earlier than their peers.

Other possible risk factors include exposure to harmful chemicals and chronic stress in a child’s home.

The researchers warn that early puberty can cause negative body image and mental disorders such as depression. But this could also be a result of being overweight. The scientists admit it’s difficult to untangle the two.

And an often overlooked risk of early puberty is that young girls could find themselves in situations they’re not mentally prepared to handle, despite physical appearance, which could lead to deeper psychological problems.

Image credit: CrazyFast

Posted in Nutrition & Health, depression, obesity, puberty, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Obese Kids Have “Flatter” Feet

Monday, July 26th, 2010

“Flat feet” occur when the arches in a person’s feet are flat; while typically painless, occasionally a collapsed arch can cause ankle and knee discomfort, or worsen natural wear-and-tear in the feet.

All babies have flat feet, but as the child grows up the arches naturally develop.

But new research in the International Journal of Obesity says obese children tend to have flatter feet than kids with healthier weights.

Scientists used ultrasound to analyze the feet of 150 children, ages 6 to 10; half the kids were obese and the other half were thinner.

The researchers found obese children had lower arches and more padding on the soles of their feet. But the scientists don’t know if the obese children’s flatter/fatter feet will lead to musculoskeletal problems later in life.

For most cases no special treatment is needed to address flat feet, but if someone does experience pain a doctor may recommend arch supports or physical therapy.

In the past, military studies have shown flat feet did not hinder recruits during basic training; no impact on physical training or injury rates.

Image credit: psycherika

Posted in Fitness, obesity, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Obesity Raises Cancer Risk

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes, all increase if you’re overweight or obese.

All these risks are worsened by the global obesity epidemic. In 2005, the World Health Organization estimated that 9.8% of adults are obese. That’s 400 million people.

And while heart disease and type-2 diabetes are strongly linked to obesity, another risk is not widely recognized, cancer.

Published in the journal Lance Oncology, a new study found Asians who are overweight or obese are at greater risk of dying from cancer compared to people with normal weight; obesity was associated with a 21% heightened risk and 6% for being overweight.

Particular forms of cancer linked to obesity included colon, rectum, breast, ovary, cervix, prostate, and leukemia.

Researchers followed more than 400,000 Asians from places like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand for four years. Historically people native to Asian countries have been thinner, but with the growth of the Western diet and lifestyle, obesity rates among Asians have skyrocketed, particularly in China.

New reports say between 1985 and 2000 the rate of childhood obesity in China has increased 30-fold; raising concern that government should take a more active role in the prevention of obesity.

Image credit: Elvis Loh’s

Posted in Nutrition & Health, breast cancer, cancer, colon cancer, obesity, prostate cancer, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Obesity Raises Cancer Risk

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes, all increase if you’re overweight or obese.

All these risks are worsened by the global obesity epidemic. In 2005, the World Health Organization estimated that 9.8% of adults are obese. That’s 400 million people.

And while heart disease and type-2 diabetes are strongly linked to obesity, another risk is not widely recognized, cancer.

Published in the journal Lance Oncology, a new study found Asians who are overweight or obese are at greater risk of dying from cancer compared to people with normal weight; obesity was associated with a 21% heightened risk and 6% for being overweight.

Particular forms of cancer linked to obesity included colon, rectum, breast, ovary, cervix, prostate, and leukemia.

Researchers followed more than 400,000 Asians from places like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand for four years. Historically people native to Asian countries have been thinner, but with the growth of the Western diet and lifestyle, obesity rates among Asians have skyrocketed, particularly in China.

New reports say between 1985 and 2000 the rate of childhood obesity in China has increased 30-fold; raising concern that government should take a more active role in the prevention of obesity.

Image credit: Elvis Loh’s

Posted in Nutrition & Health, cancer, colon cancer, obesity, prostate cancer, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Teenage Boys Do Eat More than Girls

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

When a kid hits puberty, especially a boy, they start growing like a beanstalk and eating like a Siberian tiger – or so says the cliché.

But according to a new study, the rumors are true. The average teenage boy consumes more calories at lunch than girls of the same age.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers invited 204 kids, ages 8 to 17, both boys and girls, to a buffet on two separate days; one day the participants were told to eat as much as they normally do at lunch and on the other day, they were encouraged to eat as much as they wanted.

Girls between the ages of 10 and 13 had the biggest change in appetite and ate more than 1,300 calories during lunchtime. This makes sense because girls mature earlier than boys. That’s why among the boys 14 to 17 years old, the average calorie intake was 2,000 calories; even more for active boys.

But researchers don’t want parents to worry, as long as their kid is still at a healthy and not overweight, there’s nothing to be alarmed about.

Too bad you still can’t eat like a pig when you get older. Comedian Kevin James put it best, “The problem is I’m in my thirties, I can’t eat like I used to. When I was in high school, I could eat three Big Macs and finish out the day like a hummingbird. I had one Big Mac the other day, I felt like a grizzly bear that got shot in the ass with a sedative dart.”

Image credit: Cinie’s World

Posted in Nutrition & Health, puberty, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Working Moms Linked to Childhood Obesity

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Times change, it’s not the 1950s anymore. Societies evolve – or at least we hope they do – economies grow more complex, and the world gets a whole new set of problems.

And now the crisis du jour is childhood obesity; with countries like China, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom baring the lion share of the weight.

Experts blame the Western diet and lifestyle – which is high in fast food and low in exercise – but researchers have fingered a new potential cause for fatter and fatter kids.

Published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, scientists claim children of mothers in the UK who work full time are 50% more likely to become overweight or obese.

Not to discourage women from working – they’re a valuable part of the world economy – but experts suggest the up tick in childhood obesity could be because children of working moms often eat fewer home cooked family meals.

Researchers studied data on kids from the 1960s, finding 12% of boys were overweight or obese, compared to 8% of their fathers in childhood; and 18% of girls were overweight and obese, compared to 11% of their mothers’ generation.

In the US, data from the 1990s showed 58% of mothers with kids under six years old worked full time jobs. And that number jumped to nearly 75% for mothers with children between 6 and 18 years old.

Image credit: CeeCee

Posted in Nutrition & Health, obesity, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Vitamin D Helps Cut Flu Risk

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Change of seasons – warm to cold, cold to warm – are prime cold and flu times.

But there’s more you can do about than just getting your flu shot and eating lots of vitamin C and zinc tablets.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found children – i.e. little disease spreaders – with high vitamin D intake were less likely to get influenza.

For the study, participants – children ages 6 to 15 – were randomly given a placebo or vitamin supplement from December 2008 to March 2009.

Data showed the vitamin D group was 58% less likely to get the flu, but only for influenza A, which usually occurs early in the flu season. Influenza B – common later on – risk was not reduced by vitamin D supplementation.

But researchers don’t know why.

Major sources of vitamin D include milk and plain old regular sunshine. Easy!

Image credit: Mi9.com

Posted in Nutrition & Health, cold & flu, teenagers & children, vitamins & minerals | No Comments »

Obese Kids More Likely to Suffer Leg Injuries

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

XRCarrying around a lot of extra weight has to be murder on your legs. It must wreak havoc on your knees, ankles, and joints.

Turns out it does, especially in kids. Overweight or obese children are twice as likely to sprain something as normal weight kids.

Writing in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found obese children tended to suffer more lower body injuries, while thinner – more active – kids endured more sporting injuries, like lacerations and bumps on the head.

Data on 23,000 children, ages 3 to 14, revealed the obese children – one in six of the kids studied – had more lower extremity injuries with a 30% risk, compared to an 18% risk for normal weight children.

And obese kids had a 10% risk to suffer head or face injuries, while thinner children only had a 18% chance.

Researchers point out that both obese children and adults take longer to recover from physical injuries.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: ColorXrays.com

Posted in Fitness, Nutrition & Health, obesity, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Snacking Could Lead to “Constant Eating” in Kids

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

SNKSSnacks and junk food are everywhere, even hardware stores and pet shops have candy and salty snacks up by the cash registers.

So now experts think all this easy access to food and snacking could spur “constant eating” in young children.

Writing in the journal Health Affairs, researchers claim 27% of calories that American kids eat come from snacks; mostly salty foods, candy, desserts, and sweetened beverages.

The scientists say children’s caloric intake has increased by 113 calories per day from 1977 and 2006 – basically a can of soda.

All this snacking may lead to constant eating, which refers to the “physiological basis” for eating is becoming upset and kids confusing when to and when not to eat.

This compulsion, coupled with inactivity, will continue to fuel rising obesity rates. So U.S. health officials have urged food producers to improve the nutritional quality of their products.

And parents to become better educated about nutrition and to encourage their kids to exercise more.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Posted in Nutrition & Health, junk food, salt & sodium, sugar, teenagers & children | No Comments »

Children in Minority Groups Have Higher Risk of Obesity

Monday, March 1st, 2010

BGRacial minority groups – such as blacks and Hispanics – are higher in almost every risk factor for childhood obesity.

Major predictors of childhood obesity include having an obese mother, eating solid foods before four months of age, stopping breast-feeding too soon, and over consumption of fast food.

Writing in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found minority children were more inclined to have these risks factors than their white counterparts.

But the scientists report that these issues can be resolved early on by changing behaviors; a biggie being counseling women to breast feed longer.

Minority groups in the United States are typically pegged with higher rates of obesity; previous  studies claim Mexican Americans have a 38% obesity, blacks 34.9%, and whites 30.7%.

As a layman, I contend distribution of wealth and socio-economic status contribute to all this – sad to say.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: Pro Pay America

Posted in Nutrition & Health, breast-feeding, fast food, teenagers & children | No Comments »

« Older Entries