Nutrition Frenzy

From cnn health: Nearly one-fifth of American 4-year-olds are obese, and children of color are at higher risk, according to new research.

Researchers calculated the body mass index from a sample of 8,550 Hispanic, black, white, Asian and Native American 4-year-olds. The children were born in 2001, and in 2005, their height and weight were measured — 18.4 percent of them were obese.

“Significant differences in the prevalence of obesity between racial/ethnic groups were evident at 4 years of age,” the researchers wrote in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Using body mass index, they found that 31.2 percent of American Indian/Native Alaskans, 22 percent of Hispanics, 20.8 percent of blacks, 15.9 percent of whites and 12.8 percent of Asians were obese.

“It’s surprising that there are large differences by racial/ethnic group by that age,” said Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at The Ohio State University and lead study author.

Anderson and co-author Robert Whitaker’s analysis showed that children were becoming obese even before encountering soda and candy vending machines in schools.

“These results really do point to the need for us to focus attention on early childhood and the need for research to understand how these differences can emerge so early,” Anderson said. “To do that, we may need to understand the different family and cultural factors that are at play in these children’s lives.”

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults fare no better. Approximately 45 percent of blacks, 36.8 percent of Mexican Americans and 30 percent of whites are obese.

“It’s a very bad sign if we see obesity at a young age,” Robinson said. “When we see children obese at age 4, we’re likely to see complications — high blood pressure, abnormal lipids — which can lead to heart disease and stroke, diabetes in children.”

A good way to avoid weight gain as you age? Eat.

Research shows that people who eat meals regularly throughout the day tend to have smaller waists than people who sometimes skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Get Regular
Regular eaters not only weigh less and have smaller waists but also are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome or experience insulin resistance — conditions that can pave the way for heart disease and diabetes.

Plan for More
An even better plan? Eat many small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. This helps keep your appetite from getting out of control, so you eat less overall throughout the day.

Anti-Meal-Skipper Recipe
Are you typically too time-pressed to eat breakfast? Make these simple, scrumptious muffins this weekend so you’ll have an easy grab-and-go option during the week:

Apricot-Wheat Germ MuffinsNutty toasted wheat germ and tangy dried apricots give these muffins a homey, satisfying flavor. Plumping dried fruit before adding it to the batter keeps the muffins moist.

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice, divided
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk, (see Tip)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Combine apricots and 1/4 cup orange juice in a small bowl. Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. (Alternatively, bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat.) Set aside to plump.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, oil, orange zest, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup orange juice. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Add apricots and mix just until blended. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon wheat germ.
5. Bake the muffins until lightly browned and the tops spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.

Nutrition Information
Per muffin
Calories: 242
Carbohydrates: 38g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
Cholesterol: 36mg
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Potassium: 138mg
Sodium: 184mg

Food stamps, school lunch and other public nutrition programs do not contribute to an obesity epidemic affecting millions of children and adults, despite blame levied by critics, U.S. and academic officials said on Thursday.

The Agriculture Department programs will cost about $73 billion in fiscal 2009. They range from school milk to food stamps and the Women, Infants and Children food program.

The large price tag has prompted some critics to point to research blaming the programs as a factor in a global obesity crisis.

“USDA is not aware of any convincing evidence that school meals or other federal nutrition programs cause obesity and overweight. The evidence that does exist is mixed,” Thomas O’Connor, USDA’s acting deputy undersecretary for nutrition, told a House Appropriations subcommittee.

An estimated 61 million Americans are affected by the department’s nutrition programs. Recently, the recession has boosted demand for assistance. A record 31.8 million people received food stamps at the latest count and other programs are at or near record levels.

Kelly Brownell, a professor at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, said he did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show USDA’s programs were leading to more obese Americans.

President Barack Obama has a goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. He has proposed a $1-billion-a-year increase in funding for child nutrition that would be used in part to improve access to programs and improve the nutritional quality of school meals.

An estimated 32 percent of U.S. children fit the government’s definition of being overweight and 16 percent are considered obese, putting themselves at risk for serious health problems.

West Virginia Woman Is Second Person in U.S. to Undergo Brain Surgery to Lose Weight

Is this something you would do? If after trying to alter your eating habits, exercise, maybe try lap band/bariatric surgery and nothing worked, would you go to this extreme?

West Virginia mother of two Carol Poe, 60, is only the second person in the United States to undergo deep brain stimulation for weight loss after trying everything from diets to having her stomach stapled.

Last month, she took part in a clinical trial at West Virginia University hospital in which neurosurgeons drilled into her brain and used electricity to control her feelings of hunger and satisfaction.

Poe, 5-feet 2-inches and who weighed 230 pounds before the surgery, said that at her heaviest she weighed about 490 pounds.

Dr Julian Bailes, chairman of West Virginia University’s department of neurosurgery, said Poe was a good candidate for the radical treatment.

Bailes told Reuters that the West Virginia University hospital was the only one in the United States, and the only center he knew of worldwide, using the deep brain stimulation technique specifically on obese patients.

He said the first patient underwent surgery in November 2008. The second, Poe, took place in February. Both are part of a clinical trial, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, conducted by fellow neurosurgeons Michael Oh and Donald Whiting.

“We hope her sensation is a sensation of satiety, a sensation of fullness, a lack of compulsion to consume excess calories,” Bailes told “Nightline”. “And a sensation again of satisfaction, of not having the feeling we need to eat some more when we know we don’t.”

Doctors said it would be several months before any weight loss is noticeable while the voltage to the brain is gradually increased. But a week after the voltage was turned on, Poe told “Nightline” she had already lost three pounds.

“When I eat, I get full faster. I just don’t have the cravings like I used to have,” she said.

With the growing obesity epidemic occuring in children in the US many health care providers are recommending cholesterol screening in kids as young as 2.

Given the increase in childhood obesity and diabetes in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends routine screening for heart disease in children between the ages of 2 and 10.

“The children who are most concerning are those who are already overweight or obese,” said Dr. Jennifer Shu, a spokesperson for the AAP and Maddie’s pediatrician. She said other risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure and a family history of early heart disease. Health Minute: Watch more on kids and cholesterol

When a young patient fits the risk profile, Shu recommends testing blood cholesterol levels with a simple finger prick. If the results are normal, she suggests a follow-up test in three to five years.

But if the cholesterol reading is high, Shu refers the patient to a cardiologist and strongly suggests some immediate changes at home.

“Lifestyle is always first,” Shu said.

When Maddie tested positive for high cholesterol at age 7, Zacks made sure her daughter started a daily exercise regimen. She also took a close look at the family diet.

“We’re not perfect,” admitted Zacks. “I try to lead by example. I cook with healthier foods.”

When diet and exercise don’t seem to make much difference, some doctors may turn to cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Based on clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a handful of statin medications for use in children.

An overweight teenager who once ate 15,000 calories a day has lost 280 pounds after undergoing weight-loss surgery.

This is amazing! Malissa Jones, of Selby in North Yorks, England, tipped the scales at 476 pounds at the age of 16 and was constantly gorging on chocolate, chips and other junk food, sometimes eating 10 candy bars in one sitting.

She was so hooked on eating she would raid the freezer in the middle of the night and gobble down partially-thawed raw burgers.

In the end Jones was barely able to move. She needed oxygen so she could breathe while sleeping and suffered angina — a heart disease usually associated with older people.

Doctors told her to lose weight or she would die. At 17, she decided to have gastric bypass surgery. The operation helped Jones lose more than half her body weight in just one year.

Now she is saving to have an operation to remove 14 pounds of excess sagging skin caused by her dramatic weight loss.

“I’ve discovered a whole new world,” the teen said. “I’m out every weekend clubbing. I’ve had a lot more boyfriends because I feel much more attractive and confident.”

So at 17 she decided to have the bypass . . . even though it could have killed her. The risky op is normally banned on under-18s. She said last night: “Doctors warned me there was a strong risk I could die from the op. But I knew I had no choice. Without it I would have died anyway.”

Miraculously Malissa, of Selby, North Yorks, not only survived but lost more than half her weight in a year.

Now she is saving to have a private op—a full body lift and tuck—to remove one stone of excess sagging skin caused by her dramatic weight loss.

Some people may simply be hard-wired to overeat, brain scans show.

Brian Alexander on MSNBC health wrote about an interesting idea that many claim that gives answers. Some people’s brains are just wired so they overeat and out of their control.

And now science is apparantly backing up those claims.

recent U.S. government study found that the number of obese American adults now outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight. While many factors contribute to excessive weight gain — from diet and cultural changes to decreased physical activity — there’s still a prevalent attitude that obesity is the fat person’s fault.

The researchers Andrew Calder, Luca Passamonti and James Rowe were trying to determine why some people are more likely to overeat. What they found was, “people who appear to be more sensitive to food signals have different wiring in their brains,” said obesity expert Marc-Andre Cornier, M.D., a University of Colorado endocrinologist who was not associated with the trial.

In the small study, just published in the January Journal of Neuroscience, brain scans showed how 21 participants reacted to three sets of images: appetizing food, bland food, and unrelated images of other subjects. The volunteers were of normal weight because obese people have already undergone “neurohormonal changes” that affect how their brains function, according to researcher Andrew Calder.

The participants were quizzed to determine their susceptibility to food cues. Then they fasted for two hours. At that point, their level of hunger was assessed. When researchers checked the brain scans, the results were clear.

What do you think?

Apple Cider Vinegar does have scientific backing for various health claims.

Recently, a friend told me that Apple Cider Vinegar (in either liquid or tablet form) would help reduce my blood sugar, lower cholesterol and blood pressure. I was reluctant, because I had never heard of that before. For a few weeks I was looking for Apple Cider Vinegar Tablets and finally found some in a far off drugstore.

To back the claim, I did some research and found this:

Here’s a rundown of some more recent ones.

Diabetes. The effect of vinegar on blood glucose levels is perhaps the best-researched and the most promising of apple cider vinegar’s possible health benefits. Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose levels. For instance, one 2007 study of 11 people with type 2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by 4%-6%.

High cholesterol. A 2006 study showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. However, the study was done in rats, so it’s too early to know how it might work in people.

Blood pressure and heart health. Another study in rats found that vinegar could lower high blood pressure. A large epidemiological study also found that people who ate oil and vinegar dressing on salads five to six times a week had lower rates of heart disease than people who didn’t. However, it’s far from clear that the vinegar was the reason.

Cancer. A few laboratory studies have found that vinegar may be able to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Epidemiological studies of people have been confusing. One found that eating vinegar was associated with a decreased risk of esophageal cancer. Another associated it with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Weight Loss. For thousands of years, vinegar has been used for weight loss. White vinegar (and perhaps other types) might help people feel full. A 2005 study of 12 people found that those who ate a piece of bread along with small amounts of white vinegar felt fuller and more satisfied than those who just ate the bread.

While the results of these studies are promising, they are all preliminary. Many were done on animals or on cells in a lab. The human studies have been small. Before we will truly know whether vinegar has any health benefits, much larger studies are needed.

Study shows 34% are obese and 32% overweight, per the numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics .

As science has proven, being overweight or obese raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, arthritis and other conditions, more and more Americans are growing around the middle. Alarmingly, the CDC reported that 32 percent of U.S. children fit the definition of being overweight, 16 percent were obese and 11 percent were extremely obese. Want tosee of you fit the category of health? Find out your Body Mass Index here.

This makes me wonder if the figures (statistically) would be shown that as more and more Americans are losing their jobs, homes and way of life, that all they can afford to eat are the cheaper, high carb, high fat foods. The Government and the Food and Drug Administration spout that Americans should be buying and eating healthy, nutritious, low-fat, low-carb, high-fiber foods daily. That is an admiriable goal. From the FDA’s website, eating their recommended meal planwould cost between $200-300 per person per month. Who can afford to eat like that in this economy?

If the Government is truly concerned about the health of Americans, I propose that they start a reality check: Americans cannot afford healthy, nutritious foods. Start subsidizing each American’s monthly food bill at $200 per person per month. This would be cheaper in the long run than treating heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, organ failure, gastric bypass surgeries and the myriad other health problems and issues stemming from obesity.