Clumsy kids more likely to be overweight

This is a strange little study!

Reuters Health is reporting:

Children with poor hand control and coordination are more likely to become obese adults, researchers said on Wednesday. The finding adds to a growing body of evidence linking poorer cognitive function in childhood to obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults.

A study of thousands of British children found those with the worst cognitive and physical function at the ages of seven and 11 years were far more likely to be obese in later life. "It's not a question of people who are already overweight becoming clumsy because the majority of these children weren't any heavier than their peers," researcher Scott Montgomery said in a telephone interview.

"It was assumed that all the neurological complications associated with obesity were consequences of obesity itself. This suggests that's not the case." The findings held true even after adjusting for factors likely to influence the results, such as childhood body mass and family social class, he noted. What lies behind the link is unclear but Montgomery believes it could be a function of factors such as maternal smoking during pregnancy or lack of exercise in childhood. The latter is important for developing fine motor control.

The new study by experts from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and London's Imperial College is based on more than 11,000 individuals participating in Britain's ongoing National Child Development Study, which began in 1958.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Childhood Obesity Study

You may have heard about a new study that shows a more positive outlook in the fight against childhood obesity. I must warn you, it's not that great of news, but anything positive is a good sign.

Here's the ABC version of the story:

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that can lead to serious health problems in adulthood. In recent years the number of obese children in the U.S. has increased, but a new study looking at the national trend over the past eight years shows some positive signs.

Brian Gordon is one of thousands who battled a weight problem as a child. He says it wasn't until he became active in sports that the pounds started dropping off. He said, "I gained a lot of weight in middle school and my parents got me into soccer, baseball and wrestling. Things like that."

Doctor Cynthia Ogden is an epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics. She and her colleagues analyzed data from more than eight thousand children and teens ages two through nineteen who participated in national health surveys. Looking at body mass index from 1999 through 2006 they found obesity
levels are stabilizing.

Dr. Cynthia Ogden said, "This was true for boys and for girls. For whites, for African-Americans, for Mexican-Americans, and it was even true when we picked three different levels of high body mass index." 16.3% of U.S. children and teens are considered obese. While the numbers have not increased they also have not decreased, and certain ethnicities continue to be more likely to be obese. Dr.Ogden said,"By race ethnicity particularly among girls we see big disparities where about twenty-eight percent of African-American girls, twenty per cent of Mexican- American girls and about fourteen and a half percent of white teenage girls are overweight or obese."

Alisa Rank is worried about obesity problems. She said,"It's really important to get the education to kids to let them know what can happen if they're not getting exercise in the future. I don't think there's enough emphasis on that."

Dr. Ogden said, "The main concern for teenagers is that if you're too heavy as a teen you're likely to be obese as an adult and that can be a problem." Researchers are encouraged by the findings. they say the public health message remains the same. children and teens need a well balanced diet and regular physical activity.

The study appears this week in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Kids and Food Labels

Here's a story we ran on WHOI this week that I thought you might want to read:

Excess weight continues to be an important health concern for many of America’s children. And the problem starts at a young age.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Nearly 14 percent of two- to five-years olds are overweight.


• Among those 6 to 11, nearly 19 percent are overweight.


• Over 17 percent of the 12- to 19-year-olds are overweight.

Overweight children are more likely to keep those excess pounds and remain overweight as adults. In addition, overweight children have many of the same health issues seen in overweight adults (like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol).

Weight gain occurs when the body takes in more calories than it uses. The ideal way to lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight, is to balance calories and energy expenditure through a healthy diet and regular exercise. The CDC reports many children don’t eat properly. Only 20 percent of American children eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Fewer than 40 percent meet fiber recommendations. And 85 percent of adolescent and teen girls don’t get enough calcium.

Keli Hawthorne, R.D., a Registered Dietitian with Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, says the best way to gauge how well you meet dietary guidelines is to use a nutrition facts label found on packaged foods. Food labels are based on a 2000-calorie/day diet and are relevant for most Americans four and older. (Parents who have a child with specific nutritional concerns should seek advice from a registered dietitian.)

Hawthorne says there are several important things to look for on a nutrition
facts label. First is serving size. The top line lists the amount per serving as well as the number of servings in the container or package. This number is important because looks can be deceiving. A food that appears to be a single-serving package may actually contain one-and-half or more servings. Thus, if a package contains two servings and all of it is consumed, the nutritional values must be doubled. Second, check the number of calories and calories from fat (the second line). According to the FDA, 100 calories is a considered a moderate amount. 40 calories is low and 400 calories is high. The number of calories from fat is important because even low calorie foods can have high amounts of fat.

The next few lines list the amount of fat, cholesterol and sodium. Hawthorne recommends consumers follow a “5 and 20 rule,” with five percent being a low amount of the nutrient and 20 percent being a high amount. Fat, cholesterol and sodium are nutrients that, in excess, can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. So less is better – aim for 5 percent. There is no percent value for trans fat. However, this fat should be limited because it has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease.

The next lines list carbohydrates, fiber, sugars and proteins. Look for foods that are low in sugars and high in fiber. Children need protein to build and repair muscle, blood and organs.

The last few lines list important nutrients, like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Using the same 5- and 20- rule, look for foods that have more of these ingredients – aiming closer to 20 percent. Health experts say it’s important to teach young children the importance of good nutrition because poor dietary habits in childhood can have lasting effects, leading to significant arterial plaque by 30 or 40. Hawthorne says children as young as 9 can be taught to read and understand a food label, enabling them to make wiser choices in the foods they eat.

Children’s Nutrition Research Center
Make Your Calories Count
Cartoon Network

It makes sense that kids need to be taught how to eat healthy and they learn from example. I guess some of us aren't setting the best example. I can barely get my four-year-old to eat anything, but my one-year old eats everything. I think the way the child naturally eats should be taken into consideration when we teach kids how to eat.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Childhood Obesity

Reuters is reporting the way you raise your kids may not have as much to do with childhood obesity than once thought.

Diet and lifestyle play a far smaller role than genetic factors in determining whether a child becomes overweight, according to a recent British study of twins.

Researchers looking at more than 5,000 pairs of twins wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that genes account for about three-quarters of the differences in a child's waistline and weight.

"Contrary to the widespread assumption that family environment is the key factor in determining weight gain, we found this was not the case," said Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK's Health Behavior Centre, who led the study.

Previous studies have pointed to environmental factors as the main cause of obesity, a major problem worldwide that increases the risk later in life of type-2 diabetes, cancer and heart problems.

The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people worldwide as obese, including 200 million children under the age of five.

The British team looked at pairs of identical twins who share all their genes and compared their measurements with those of non-identical twins who share only half their genes.

A statistical analysis found that the differences in the children's body mass index and waist circumference were 77 percent attributable to genes and 23 percent due to the environment in which the children were growing up.

BMI is calculated by dividing weight by the square of height.

"These results do not mean that a child with a high complement of 'susceptibility genes' will inevitably become overweight, but that their genetic endowment gives them a stronger predisposition," the researchers said.

The results suggest that parents whose children are at the greatest genetic risk may need support to make sure they provide a healthy environment, the researchers said.

"This study shows that it is wrong to place all the blame for a child's excessive weight gain on the parents," the researchers said.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen