We’ve all heard it before; the obesity rates in the US are growing rapidly, but did you know just how bad it’s actually gotten? 1 out of 3 kids are now considered overweight or obese,1 which represents an increase of more than double in children and quadruple in adolescents in the past 30 years2 and almost matches the current statistic of how many American adults fall into the very same category, over one-third.3
Suggesting we’re in a crisis is an understatement. To make matters even more tragic, the youngest of the young, who cannot bear any of the responsibility, are perhaps at the greatest risk.
Researchers found humans develop their total number of fat cells in childhood.4 Once fat cells have grown in number, that number is there to stay and all we can do, short of having surgery to decrease the amount of cells, is to manipulate the size of each cell.5 So, we can deduce a person who has been overweight since childhood will have a far more difficult time trying to reach a healthy weight compared to someone who gained later in their life.
Forget about nature versus nurture; the bottom line is that if mom and dad are overweight, making poor food choices and watching TV five hours per day,6 the little ones aren’t exactly going to go to the farmer’s market or a jog around the block on their own!
The cause for this desperate state of affairs is vast; a nationwide solution is multifaceted and complex as it goes beyond simply recommending that people eat more veggies, cut out sugar and get out to exercise. We have to factor in current state of health of the parents, or lack thereof, what foods and medications they’re taking, whose nutritional advice they’re following and what comprises their physical fitness regime. Furthermore, each family needs to take it upon themselves to proactively make changes, if for no other reason than to ensure the kids have the best possible future ahead of them from a health perspective.
