Child obesity
...s as substitutes for fat and protein. High carbohydrates (particularly those containing simple sugars) stimulate the production of insulin, which drives fat into fat depots and prevents its breakdown, resulting in excessive fat accumulation. High insulin also causes insulin resistance resulting in a greater conversion of blood sugars to fat and increased fat storage. Carbohydrates also take far less time to empty from the stomach than do those foods high in fat or protein, causing hunger. A child having eaten a bowl of sugarcoated cereal for breakfast is likely to be hungry by mid-morning with the need for a snack. At school, he or she may satisfy their mid-morning hunger with yet another high carbohydrate food such as a soda, candy, cookies, or a bag of chips. Schools are not much of help either; with vending machines, which contain high calorie, low nutritional foods and drinks. It’s very difficult for a kid to eat healthy when they’re surrounded with un-nutritional food at home and school. Heredity is associated not only with obesity but also with thinness. It is most closely correlated with the biological mother's weight. If the biologic mother is heavy as an adult, there is approximately a 75% chance that her children will be heavy. If the biological mother is thin, there is also a 75% chance that her children will be thin. It is related to metabolic processes inherited only from the biologic mother. These differences are independent of thyroid activity, which, incidentally, is a relatively rare cause of obesity. There has been speculation for several years that this genetic tendency for obesity results from a gene that produces an abnormal protein or hormone, which interferes with the feeling of fullness. With this abnormal protein, an afflicted individual would have a lower metabolic rate and would not feel full after what normal-weight individuals would consider a large meal. Other possible abnormalities have been evaluated. There may be differences in the mitochondria in obese individuals. The mitochondria are a part of cells that are involved in energy (calorie) utilization. The mitochondria are only inherited from the mother. This may explain the high correlation of a child's weight to that of the biologic mother's weight. Hereditary factors are an important factor contributing to obesity. Incidentally, inheriting a tendency toward obesity does not mean that you cannot lose weight - it just means that you have to work harder at it. According to the Center for Disease Control, a reduction in physical activity is the major cause for childhood obesity. Some studies suggest that television and computers is the evil offender responsible for obesity. Recent data show that children are watching approximately 24 hours of television per week. One study found that children who watch 5 hours of television per day are 5 times more likely to be overweight or obese than those that watch only 0 to 2 hours per day. Television, as well as computers, is a substitute for activity. Instead of playing ball, riding bikes, skating, the child is, instead, inactive, reducing drastically energy expenditure. Many people, by snacking in front of the TV, have developed a subconscious association between television watching and hunger. A recent study found that decreasing the number of hours a child's watches TV reduces the number of snacks consumed, increases levels of activity, and causes a significant loss of body weight. The failure of schools to provide and encourage daily physical activity has also been a major cause for reduced energy expenditure and concomitant weight gain among children. According to The American College for Sports Medicine, the numbers of children participating in daily physical education has declined from 80% to 20% over the last several decades. Many elementary schools have done away with recess in an effort to increase academic performance, perhaps failing to realize the importance of free, creative play in the learning process or the need for circulatory stimulation. Children who are obese are often considered to be lazy when, in reality, physical activity is ...