That Health Rules

As the world is becoming more obese… as our food industry is creating better marketing strategies to entice people to eat… as we see more children spending more time watching television… not surprisingly, we see more kids suffering from the chronic illnesses not known to kids in last century!

Now new data support our fear that indeed obesity is becoming more prevalent in our region as more international food chains are creeping up and luring our kids with better and bigger processed foods.  In the ned, our own personal health, our kids health and the health of our nation will suffer because we will be spending our fortune in treating the complications of what we have eaten during our lifetime.

A study published in Pediatrics this year is not only alarming but an eye opener…for all of us with kids!!!!

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First-quarter 2002 baseline prevalence of chronic medication use per 1000 child beneficiaries ranged from a high of 29.5 for antiasthmatics to a low of 0.27 for antihyperlipidemics. Except for asthma medication use, prevalence rates were higher for older teens aged 15 to 19 years.

During the study period, the prevalence rate for type 2 antidiabetic agents doubled, driven by 166% and 135% increases in prevalence among females aged 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 years, respectively.

Prevalence of use growth was more moderate for antihypertensives and antidepressants (1.8%). R

Rates of growth were dramatically higher among girls than boys for type 2 antidiabetics (147% vs 39%), 

CONCLUSIONS. Prevalence of chronic medication use in children increased across all therapy classes evaluated. Additional study is needed into the factors influencing these trends, including growth in chronic disease risk factors, greater awareness and screening, and greater affinity toward early use of drug therapy in children.

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Well for me this data say it all.  Where else can one get diabetes at an early age except from the rising prevalence of obesity.  Excess fat results in a state called insulin resistance where the body has to produce more insulin to counteract the resistance by fat to the effect of insulin.  We need insulin to drive sugar inside our muscles to be used for energy!!! 

Simple equation of FAT= Insulin resitance + Diabetes and others.

Others mean: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hgh uric acid, infertility, increased risk for blood clot, cancer and more…  Meaning, our kids if we let them be with their choices of food nowadays will be taking the medications that our fathers used to take when they were in their 70’s.  A scary though indeed BUT it’s now a reality!

In short… start good nutrition among the young. And have a happy healthy kid.