The plus side of high food prices? Obesity battle among US children may have peaked

[devilgrrl]

I'm kidding btw...



CHICAGO - The percentage of American children who are overweight or obese appears to have leveled off after a 25-year increase, according to new figures that offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dismal battle.

"That is a first encouraging finding in what has been unremittingly bad news," said Dr. David Ludwig, director of an obesity clinic at Children's Hospital Boston. "But it's too soon to know if this really means we're beginning to make meaningful inroads into this epidemic. It may simply be a statistical fluke."

In 2003-04 and 2005-06, roughly 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese and 11 percent were extremely obese, according to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those levels held steady after rising without interruption since 1980.

"Maybe there is some reason for a little bit of optimism," said CDC researcher Cynthia Ogden, the study's lead author.

Some experts said that if the leveling-off is real, it could be because more schools and parents are emphasizing better eating habits and more exercise. Even so, they and Ogden stressed that it would be premature to celebrate.

"Without a substantial decline in prevalence, the full impact of the childhood epidemic will continue to mount in coming years," Ludwig said. That is because it can take many years for obesity-related complications to translate into life-threatening events, including heart attacks and kidney failure.

He co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. He had no role in the research.

The results are based on 8,165 children ages 2 to 19 who participated in nationally representative government health surveys in 2003-04 and 2005-06.

more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20080527/483b8740_3ca6_1552620080527665388661

[NightWatcher]

1. nah, people will eat exclusively from the various "dollar menus" and less veggies

it's getting more expensive to eat healthy on a budget, but a double cheeseburger and fries is cheap.

If the economy goes further in the tank, families will be eating McFood out of the dumpsters....

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Unfortunately, the diet of poverty

is extremely fattening. High in sugar, starches & other cheap carbs.

[TygrBright]

3. Unfortunately, obesity-promoting food is more likely to remain cheap, as nutritious food goes up.

Fresh, minimally-processed foods are the most expensive to get to market in good condition. They are the items with the soaring prices.

Food that is heavily-processed with long shelf life and high stability is cheaper to store and transport. It will remain at the most "affordable" end of the price scale, and remain the natural choice for budget-strapped families.

This will have little or no effect on obesity among children; if anything, it might cause it to start ticking up again.

The speculation that a current leveling-off is more related to conscious efforts at health promotion makes more sense than linking it to food price increases. The effort to promote health and obesity-prevention behaviors has been gathering steam for several years; the sharp rises in food prices are fairly recent.

objectively,
Bright

[kestrel91316]

4. I am eagerly awaiting the day when only the wealthy can afford to buy

soda and Twinkies. Let THEM suffer the health consequences of that crap.