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A recent study reveals the correlation between overweight/obese parents and the incidence of childhood obesity.

A study published in the international “Journal of Obesity” based at the University of Queensland found a strong link between a parent’s BMI (Body Mass Index) and his/her child’s BMI.

While the study didn’t conclude whether fathers or mothers had more impact on their children’s weight problems, it did discover that a mother with a BMI in the healthy weight range combined with an overweight or obese father  resulted in a significantly higher rate of children (age between 8 – 9 years old) being overweight or obese.

The study done by Dr Emily Freeman found this may be the result of fathers who are poor role models when it comes to exercise and dietary habits.

While the issue of childhood obesity is a complicated one, other studies have revealed that – by their teenage years – an overweight or obese child will set his or her body’s blueprint for life.

This means that if a person tries to lose weight later in life, they will be subjected to a yoyo style of weight gain and loss as the body seeks to reach its original position of equilibrium.

No matter what studies are undertaken, it’s imperative for the future health of our children that this global epidemic is given more attention.

While doing my regular Friday morning recovery bunch ride, I spoke with a 13-year-old who was riding with his father’s friend.

We enjoyed a great chat as we rode along Beach Road enjoying the bay views. It was perfect riding conditions with a slight breeze to balance off any heat generated from exercising.

Well, the 13-year-old was quite amazing. He personified what our children and teenagers should be doing, that is, exercising and eating a balanced diet.

While most of his friends were still in bed, he was up at 4:40 AM getting ready for his morning 30km ride. Interestingly, he told me that most of his friends don’t exercise at all but spend their time playing PS2 late into the night followed by a late sleep-in the next morning.

I asked him whether he spent much time on the Internet or playing video games. He wasn’t that interested even though he got a game console for Christmas a few years ago.

But the most amazing thing he told me was that his parents don’t cycle. His inspiration to ride came from  older brothers who also raced bicycles. From the tender age of 4 he started competing in racing on small tracks especially designed for kids looking for fun rather than the usual full-blown competitive bike racing experienced by his older siblings.

For 5 years he did a lot of mountain biking and BMX. He recently made the transition to a road bike and now rides 3 -4 times a day. His parents are perfect role models – his father regularly goes to Queen Victoria Market to by fruit and vegetables so there’s always a plentiful supply of fresh produce at home.

Most impressive is that he prepares his own lunch every day – a sandwich and a few pieces of fruit. When I asked what his friends had for lunch it was usually take away food from the Tuck Shop – hot dogs or hamburgers with morning tea/recess usually consisting of, in his words, “sugary roll ups.”

Unfortunately, when I asked him about the exercise habits of his fellow school friends, their greatest activity seems to be playing video games. While some kids try to balance their gaming addiction with swimming, the overall consensus was that most did little or no exercise while consuming the types of food that predispose them to health risks later in life.

The 13-year-old also commented that chocolate and similar types of food were “treats” and so should be consumed infrequently. A great lesson, whether it’s children or adults, is that we need to consume these treats on the odd occasion rather than every day.

This 13-year-old also claimed the benefits of getting involved in a regular exercise regime was that he had plenty of energy in the morning and overall felt a lot better than sitting around doing nothing.

While this level of activity and intensity is at the other end of the exercise spectrum for a young teenager, it does give some great insight into the types of positive behaviors missing in our children’s lives in general.

They don’t necessarily have to go out and race bicycles. Just riding around the local park, kicking a football or playing chasey with their friends keeps them active and provides an alternative focus to eyeballing a computer screen.

Written by Andrew Talati

Is there a so-called fat gene that makes people easily put on weight?

Many believe so and a recent study has confirmed their suspicions.  The study revealed that “the FTO Gene” may indeed be responsible for certain people carrying additional weight.

Is it real?
So many of us understand how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off.

After all, there’s a whole industry built around that very fact.

There’s no denying that some individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese. Some people are naturally thin, some naturally muscular and others naturally larger.

Now scientists claim they’ve found ‘the fat (FTO) gene’ that contributes to body fat levels and increases the risk of obesity.

Released by the Archives of Internal Medicine, the study found that people of European descent have a greater chance of inheriting the FTO gene.  It also discovered that almost 50% of study participants who were of European carried this gene.

But, all is not lost.

Does this gene put you at a greater risk of obesity?
It appears carrying the FTO gene does put you at greater risk of obesity, especially when combined with an unhealthy lifestyle.

However,  it can be argued that anyone with an endomorphic body type is more likely to become obese.

At first glance it makes sense that a ‘fat’ gene would contribute to obesity. After all, if your body is pre-programmed to retain body fat, then it’s likely  you’ll become overweight more easily, especially if you’re not very active or enjoy processed foods.

However, the study found that while it’s not possible to ‘turn off’ this gene, we can reduce its impact.

The Cure
Quite often, many overweight individuals are fitter and healthier than naturally thin people.

Why?

Because they work harder to lose and/or control their weight. They eat well and regularly exercise.

It appears  this may be the key to controlling the ‘fat’ gene. The study found that while it can’t be ‘killed,’  leading a healthy lifestyle deprives the gene of the fuel it needs to function effectively – ie. predispose you to put on weight.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to lose weight and keep it off permanently.

But following a healthy eating plan and exercising regularly is beneficial to your health, well-being and weight regardless of genetics, body type or the FTO gene.

Written by Andrew Talati

Many say that, when it comes to choosing nutritious food for your children, it’s a parent’s responsibility to read the nutritional information on the box and make the right choice.

But, unless you’re a dietician, it’s a pretty hard task when companies like Kelloggs include misleading and confusing information on their product boxes.

Kelloggs and  other big food conglomerates are currently pushing the boundaries of food labeling in lieu of the imminent threat of government legislation.

Kelloggs puts their RDI percentages are at the top of cereal boxes. But is their message misleading?

Take a box of Coco Pops, for example. The nutritional information tells us that sugars make up 12% of your DI (dietary intake). You’d automatically think this is OK, BUT… Coco Pops also contains 36 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 36.5%.

Does Kelloggs nutritional information give you a fair representation of the amount of sugar contained in a box of Coco Pops? No.

If we go by Kelloggs’ information,  10% DI looks a lot lower than 36.5% sugar. Once again, this is just a clever way of manipulating nutritional information to give a skewed impression of a product.

Kelloggs recently said: “We now focus much of our efforts on promoting healthier cereals, such as Sultana Bran.”

Hmmm… Sultana Bran may provide a 1/3 of  daily fibre needs, but what about its 28.4% of sugar? Can it really be a healthier breakfast cereal?

The problem is that so many products are sold as high fibre or low fat, and therefore apparently healthy. But what companies don’t say is that they’re also high in sugar.

Put simply, we need a better system to manage nutritional information. It needs to be easier to understand, so that you don’t require an intricate knowledge of RDI or grams per 100 grams or grams per serving to understand it.

I quite like the traffic light system – it doesn’t get much simpler.  It’s so simple, in fact, that the Grocery Council of Australia are fighting its introduction or any discussion regarding its merits.

When we know that childhood obesity  tripled between 1985 and 1995 (according to the Australasian Society for the study of obesity), this issue becomes all the more serious.

So the real question is not whether you can advertise whatever you like and put the onus back on to parents to make the right decision.

It’s whether the current system of self-regulation is working at all.

Written by Andrew Talati

The increase in obesity in Australia is disturbing. It doubled for the general population and trebled for 7-15 year old between 1985-1997. And that’s 14 years ago. According to Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition, 6 in 10 Australian adults, and 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese.

The Obesity Policy Coalition is a group of leading public health agencies working to encourage individuals, governments and industry to stop the progression of obesity, especially in children. They’re targeting all forms of promotion of unhealthy food that children have access to, especially TV advertising during child-watching hours.

A really useful initiative of the coalition has been the introduction of the free download ‘traffic light food tracker’ app. that helps consumers know if foods are healthy even when labels say ‘fat-free’ or ‘sugar-free’, while they’re at the supermarket. The only negative comments have been from food manufacturers. Should we be surprised?

Empty calories – foods full of calories but empty of nutrients are a part of the problem. You only have to watch kids on any street, at any time, slurping from their bottles, not of water, but fizzy drinks. Drinking carbonated drinks has doubled in line with the rise in obesity. But there’s a bigger worry than getting fat. The UK Daily Mail recently reported on a Swedish study that showed 2 fizzy drinks a day can double your risk of developing pancreatic cancer, which has only a 2% survival rate.

Would a ‘fat tax’ help? They’ve introduced one in Denmark, so we should be watching closely to see what happens. A tobacco tax reduced the number of smokers, so it’s certainly worth trying anything that might cut obesity.
Professor Kelly Brownell of Yale University thinks a tax on soft drinks would be a good place to start. At a recent conference of the Australian Psychological Society, he had this to say:
“From a psychological perspective, human beings respond to what we call environmental defaults. In eating terms this means they will eat foods that are most easily available, least expensive, and most heavily marketed. If the school canteen serves junk food, school children will eat junk food. If the school canteen serves healthy food, children will eat healthy food.”

If we don’t take action fast, we’ll be able to replace the image of the fit bronzed Aussie with a sickly overweight/obese person lolling in an armchair, unable to get up.

Written by Andrew Talati