| by Dr. Richard W. M. Visser
Early efforts make a world
of difference in preventing
childhood obesity
Addressing the external influences on the rise of childhood obesity:
Breastfeeding, Home Environment and Toddler Nutrition
 The steady rise of obesity rates in America’s children
should be a wakeup call for everyone,
especially parents. Yet, it seems that those who
should take the strongest course of action consistently ignore this
growing epidemic. In a time when external
factors make it more and more difficult to
raise healthy children, it is important to
recognize the environmental and nutritional
aspects associated with childhood
obesity. The common claim that, “he’s
just big-boned” can only rationalize a
child’s unhealthy weight so much. At
some point parents need to look beyond
genetics.
This year’s American Heart Association
Annual Update reported that more than 10
percent of U.S. toddlers and preschoolers
between the ages of two and five are overweight.
It also found that nearly 4 million
children ages 6 to 11 and 5.3 million young
people ages 12 to 19 were overweight or
obese. These shocking statistics account
for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention report that child obesity rates
have doubled since the early 1970s, with
approximately 15 percent of children and
adolescents now overweight.
This national epidemic is rapidly
turning into a global pandemic, the obesity
rates in other countries are, equally
shocking. The International Obesity
Task Force reports that the number of
overweight European children is rising
400,000 per year. Recent clinical testing
done on 367 children in Aruba found that
36.3 percent suffered from excess body
weight, 10.2 percent were overweight,
and 26.1 percent were obese. Nearly onefourth
showed pathological lipid profiles.
The number of children with pathological
lipid profiles tended to increase with age.
Further testing of 2,950 school-aged children
(ages 6 to 11) classified 26 percent
as obese.
Childhood obesity comes with various
undesirable health effects, such as
reduced lung and alveolar capacity, poor
metabolism leading to growth and developmental
disorders, reduced physical
activity that can lead to reduced bone
mass and joint problems, type II diabetes,
hypertension, and cancer. These
health issues will not only impact our
children, but also the state of public
health as a whole. It is estimated that
the rapid increases in childhood obesity
will shorten the future American lifespan
by two to five years. This will make our
children’s generation the first group to
die younger than their parents.
With mounting studies finding that
children are reaching unhealthy weights
earlier and earlier in life, it is imperative
that we examine some of the external
factors that influence the development
and growth of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Three important factors that
affect children’s early development are:
breastfeeding practices, home environment
and activities, and toddler nutrition.
By weighing current research, practical
guidelines, and realistic goals, parents
can take early steps to raise healthy and
fit children.
Breastfeeding
Nursing an infant is the most effective
way a mother can provide nourishment,
and the most complete form of infant
nutrition. So why are only 35 percent of
infants being breastfed for the first six
months of life and a mere 16 percent
receiving breast milk for a full year? Some
would argue that the low rate is due to the
influx of working mothers, the increasing
scrutiny of public breastfeeding, the perceived
lack of adequate milk supply, or
poor breastfeeding education of mothersto-
be. Whatever the primary reason may
be, it is imperative to the health of future
generations that the rates of breastfed
infants increase. The American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Public
Health Service support a 2010 goal that
at least 50 percent of infants will be
breastfed for six months postpartum.
Breast milk has the right amount of
fat, sugar, water, and protein that infants
need for proper growth and development.
Recent studies have shown that
the antibodies found in breast milk help
to protect infants from viruses and bacteria,
and, as a result, these infants are
less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea,
and respiratory illnesses. It has also
been shown that breastfed infants tend to
gain less unnecessary weight.
Other studies have found that
breastfeeding for longer than six months
may result in children being less overweight
later in life. Varied studies found
reduced risks of being overweight and
obese depending on children’s socioeconomic
status, birth weight, sex, and
length of time they were breastfed.
The connection breastfeeding and
a reduced risk of children being overweight
and obese, combined with the
positive nutrition and development facts
about breast milk, should be enough
to encourage all parents to incorporate
breastfeeding in their parenting practice.
Home Environment
and Activities
The environment in which a child is raised
has an enormous impact on a healthy
childhood and adolescent weight. Family environments are key to the development
of early childhood activity preferences,
food intake patterns, and eating habits.
Parents should actively provide their children
with positive examples through their own
actions.
These factors, along with parental eating
behavior, will directly affect children's
developing weight status. However, the
strongest predictor of overweight and
obese children is the mother's weight.
Children of overweight mothers are three times as likely
to be overweight; children of obese mothers are four times
as likely to be obese.
Taking into account the myriad environmental
factors that influence children's
weight, it is important that parents
actively provide their children with positive
examples through their own actions.
Children are more likely to form good
dietary habits if their parents display
healthy eating practices, such as eating
breakfast everyday, eating small portions
of food several times per day, and not
consuming food that contains excessive
fat or simple sugars.
Factors that are not related to food, but
rather to physical activity and behavior,
can also be directly associated with
excess weight and obesity risk. Children
who use electronic games and television
as primary forms of entertainment have
a significantly higher risk of becoming
obese. It has also been shown that children
from obese and overweight families
have a higher preference for sedentary
activities and pastimes.
All of these familial factors—parental
health, family dietary habits and pastime
activities—should be examined. There
are marked weight differences in children
who are guided by healthy parents, practice
moderate eating routines, and participate
in varied activities such as sports,
games, dancing, and martial arts.
Toddler Nutrition
As a whole, children today are overfed
and undernourished. Children's normal
and expected physical growth requires
adequate nutrients, including micronutrients,
vitamins and trace elements. Yet
many children do not obtain adequate
amounts of calcium, potassium, fiber,
magnesium, and vitamins A, C and E.
Larger portion sizes of less-nutritious
foods are all too commonplace, thanks
to the abundance of junk food that is
directly marketed to kids. Up from the 7
percent figure of 1994, the 2005 finding of
10 percent of overweight 2- to 5-year-olds
is projected to keep rising as unhealthy
eating habits are increasingly formed at
the toddler and preschool ages.
Making a smooth transition from
breast milk and formula to small meals
can either make or break a child's future
eating patterns. Toddlerhood is especially
important for laying the foundation
for a healthy childhood. This age is a key
development period for growth of tissue
and organs, as well as psychological and
intellectual. From 12 to 24 months, toddlers
gain an average of 3 to 5 pounds
and grow an average of 3 to 5 inches.
The USDA's Food Guide Pyramid for
Young Children recommends the following
food choices for 2- to 6-year olds:
- 6 servings of breads, cereals, rice, and pasta
- 3 servings of vegetables
- 2 servings of fruit
- 2 servings of dairy products
- 2 servings of meat, fish, poultry, and legumes
However, toddlers' actual food intake
shows quite a departure from the USDA's
recommendations. More than 25 percent
of toddlers eat French fries on a daily
basis, an estimated 62 percent consume
a baked dessert, 20 percent consume
candy, and 44 percent drink a sweetened
beverage.
Sweetened beverages, such as addedsugar
juice, boxed drinks, and sodas are
high in sugar, high in calories and low
in nutrients. Recent studies have found
a link between overweight preschoolers
and their consumption of such “sweet
drinks” and have also determined that
added-sugar beverages and, to a lesser
extent, 100 percent juice, decrease
the diet quality of young children. On
average, American preschoolers consume
about 14 to 17 teaspoons of added
sugar a day, mostly from fruit-flavored
drinks, high-fat desserts and cola-type
soft drinks.
In an attempt to curb the direct marketing
of junk food to America's children,
organizations such as the Center
for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
have recommended a set of advertising
guidelines for the food and beverage
industries. While it is unrealistic to only
have children eat fruits and vegetables, it
is plausible to limit the types of food that
are directly targeted at children's easily
influenced taste buds. Specifically, CSPI
proposed that fruit drinks marketed to
kids should contain at least 50 percent
fruit juice and no caloric sweeteners.
Natural food formulators are also
tackling toddlers' lack of nutritional
drink mediums. The recent development
of an alternative to high-sugar drinks
and juices, in the form of an all-natural,
nutritional powdered drink mix, further
addresses the increasing need for proper
early childhood nutrition.
There is no easy solution or miracle
drug to “cure” childhood obesity. The
most effective preventative tactic is to
bring information about external obesity
risk factors to the top-of-mind within the
home, mainstream media and school
systems. Collective efforts by parents,
lawmakers, teachers, industry players,
health professionals, and community
leaders can work to further educate themselves
and others on the importance of
establishing healthy eating habits for children
in their earliest years. It is absolutely
necessary to promote the development
and application of breastfeeding, lifestyle,
and nutrition education programs to
effectively combat the rapidly increasing
rates of childhood obesity.
For references, send a SASE to totalhealth
magazine.
Dr. Richard Visser, a holistic and integrative
medicine doctor, is a trailblazer in
childhood obesity research and is continually
at the forefront of addressing
kids' evolving developmental needs,
raising the awareness of proper nutrition
for healthy and fit toddlers and children.
Through his current clinical research on
children and the obesity pandemic, he
has identified a great need for new nutritional
options for toddlers. He directs
the Visser Wellness and Research Center
in Aruba, and as founder and CEO of
SimplyH, a global health organization,
he continues his quest to revolutionize
the way people think about health and
healing through continual research,
travel and discovery.
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