Weight Gain as Pre-Teens More Common in Girls
Girls are most likely to gain weight early in adolescence, between the ages of nine and 12, according to a report in The Journal of Pediatrics.
The health consequences of being overweight can be evident in girls as young as nine, all of which points to the need to tailor prevention efforts to ever younger ages.
"We really need to get to kids before age nine and 10, and this really puts the pressure on elementary school, preschool, and whatever societal institutions we have to really focus on young ages," says study co-author Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., RD, a research nutritionist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
"This shows that obesity and other risk factors for heart disease track from younger to older,” says Arlene Spark, Ed.D., RD, at Hunter College in New York City.
“This is a wake-up call for policymakers, for schools, for parents," says Dr. Spark. "The success rate for treatment is practically zero. The only thing that we can really hope for is that we can prevent children from becoming overweight and obese."
Dr. Bonita H. Franklin, at New York University School of Medicine, adds, "Heart disease is the major cause of mortality in adults in the US.
"This is implying that these factors which are known to make heart disease more likely in adults are already present in young children, so you would presume that there would be an increased health burden and probably shorter life span for this next generation," explains Dr. Franklin.
The childhood obesity epidemic in the US continues to worsen. Between 1976 and 1980, 4 percent to 6 percent of children were overweight. By 1999-2002, that number had climbed to 16 percent.
Being overweight, even as a child, increases the likelihood of having risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including higher blood pressure as well as elevated cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting insulin levels.
For this study, more than 2,300 girls ages nine and 10 were enrolled and followed for at least a decade.
Researchers measured their height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol every year through age 18, then had the teens report their own measures at ages 21 through 23. Roughly half of the girls were Caucasian and African American.
Rates of overweight among the participants increased through adolescence, from 7 percent to 10 percent in the Caucasian girls and 17 percent to 24 percent in the African-American girls.
Girls were 1.6 times more likely to become overweight when they were aged nine through 12 than later in adolescence. And girls who were overweight during childhood were 11 to 30 times more likely to be obese as young adults.
Being overweight also made girls more likely to have elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels compared to girls of normal weight.
"We put a biological value to the definition that we use for overweight for children," says Dr. Obarzanek. "We attach a health consequence to that cut-off point. In these days of evidence-based medicine, this really is strong evidence."
There were also racial differences, with African-American girls 1.5 times more likely to become overweight at any given age than Caucasian girls.
Between ages nine and 18, the prevalence of overweight was higher among African-American girls (rising from 17 percent to 24 percent) compared with Caucasian girls (rising from 7 percent to 10 percent).
The authors conclude that prevention efforts need to focus both on younger ages and take into account differences.
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
The food guide pyramid, by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services, is a guideline to help you and your child eat a healthy diet.
The food guide pyramid can help you and your child eat a variety of foods while encouraging the right amount of calories and fat.
The agency experts have prepared a food pyramid to guide parents in selecting foods for children ages two years and older.
The pyramid is divided into six colored bands representing the five food groups plus oils:
Orange represents grains: Make half the grains consumed each day whole grains. Whole-grain foods include oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, whole cornmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread.
Check the food label on processed foods - the words “whole” or “whole grain” should be listed before the specific grain in the product.
Green represents vegetables: Vary your vegetables. Choose a variety of vegetables, including dark green- and orange-colored kinds, legumes (peas and beans), starchy vegetables, and other vegetables.
Red represents fruits: Focus on fruits. Any fruit or 100 percent fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.
Yellow represents oils: Know the limits on fats, sugars, and salt (sodium).
Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard, as well as foods that contain these.
Blue represents milk: Get your calcium-rich foods. Milk and milk products contain calcium and vitamin D, both important ingredients in building and maintaining bone tissue.
Purple represents meat and beans: Go lean on protein.
Choose low fat or lean meats and poultry. Vary your protein routine - choose more fish, nuts, seeds, peas, and beans.
Activity is also represented on the pyramid by the steps and the person climbing them, as a reminder of the importance of daily physical activity.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, a decrease in energy intake of 50 to 100 calories per day for children who are gaining excess fat can reduce the rate at which they gain weight.
With this reduction in energy intake, they will grow into a healthy weight as they age. Help your child to find higher-calorie foods that can be cut from his/her daily intake.
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
