Childhood Obesity Targeted in Nationwide Initiative
In response to the growing rate of obese and overweight children in Canada, the government held a summit Monday on healthy weights to address the epidemic, regarded as one of the biggest threats to public health in the 21st century.
The summit was part of the Our Health, Our Future national dialogue, a process that involves government and partner NGOs in identifying ideas and actions to reduce childhood obesity and promote healthy weights.
“Unhealthy weight is a significant public health concern that requires attention from many sectors of society,” Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a statement.
Aglukkaq said the federal government will put an additional $4 million toward new activities to promote healthy eating by informing Canadians how they can improve their overall health and decrease their risk of obesity and other nutrition-related chronic diseases.
The next phase of the initiative will engage youth, parents, and caregivers in a national conversation on healthy weight, and will focus on promoting healthy eating by encouraging consumers to reduce their intake of food and drinks high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium.
Healthy eating habits such as eating more fruits and vegetables will also be promoted through various media, and advice will be provided to Canadians on how to follow Canada’s Food Guide at home, at the grocery store, and when eating out.
“Some of these steps seem like common sense, but these actions are the greatest steps that Canadians can take to stay healthy and save healthcare costs across the country,” Aglukkaq said.
But some are not optimistic the government’s initiative will be effective, given the multiple factors that contribute to obesity.
Obesity expert Dr. Arya Sharma, who attended the healthy weights summit, said any campaign to target the disease needs to address its root causes.
“The focus on childhood obesity in isolation is neither likely to be effective nor fiscally feasible,” Sharma said in a post on his website.
“Indeed, there is much evidence to suggest that a) the ‘root cause’ of obesity actually lies in fundamental and deep-rooted societal changes that may take decades to reverse (if at all) and b) will also need to ultimately address obesity in the parents, who themselves more often than not, struggle with excess weight,” he explained.
“I see no reason to believe that a focus on children, without also addressing the very issues that lead to obesity in the parents, is likely to be effective. Indeed, for many overweight and obese children (and their parents) it is no longer a matter of prevention—it is high time for treatment.”
Childhood obesity has skyrocketed in the past 20 years. Twenty-six percent of Canadian children between the ages of 2 and 17 are overweight or obese, and 59 percent of Canadian adults, with rates even higher among the aboriginal population.
The number of teenage boys considered overweight or obese has more than doubled, from 14 percent in 1981 to 31 percent in 2009. among teenage girls, it has increased to 25 percent.
Obesity has been linked with many chronic diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and certain types of cancer.
“The fact is we are raising the first generation of children that will not outlive their parents if current obesity trends and rates continue,” said Dr. Stewart Kennedy, president of the Ontario Medical Association.
“The health impact on our children today, along with the future health care expenditures to treat obesity related illnesses, are too prohibitive. We need action today.”
According to a 2011 study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Public Health Agency of Canada, obesity costs the Canadian economy between $4.6 billion and $7.1 billion a year.
A nutrient that may lower a woman’s risk of heart disease
It fuels Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy and Rockstar to improve performance, but taurine may also help prevent heart disease.
This is not the controversial synthetic taurine used in popular energy drinks, however, but the nutrient found naturally in dark meat of poultry and some shellfish and mollusks, such as shrimp, clams and oysters.
Taurine may provide protection against coronary heart disease in women with high cholesterol, researchers at new York University have found.
Eating foods with taurine may help to regulate blood pressure, protect against diabetes and reduce inflammation, according to researchers.
“There hasn’t been a lot of research about taurine, mostly just animal studies, so we don’t know a lot about it,” said Dr. Yu Chen, an associate professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Medicine and principal researcher for the study.
The study used data and samples from the NYU Women’s Health Study, and followed 446 participants between 1985 and 2006. it allowed researchers to measure taurine levels in blood samples before and after heart disease occurrence.
Researchers found that women with both high cholesterol and high levels of taurine in their blood were 60 percent less likely to develop or die from coronary heart disease than women with lower taurine levels.
Due to poor diet, lack of exercise or high blood pressure, arteries surrounding the heart can become clogged with materials such as plaque or cholesterol.
“When these blockages cause problems, we call the main problem a heart attack,” said Dr. Philip Greenland, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Coronary heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the U.S., accounting for about 40 percent of all deaths in men, and about 35 percent in women.
However, once women start menopause, they become more susceptible to heart disease.
Their risk dramatically increases because they stop producing natural estrogen, which helps prevent coronary heart disease and keeps their cholesterol levels lower, said Dr. Marla Mendelson, a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Since the majority of coronary heart disease is attributed to high cholesterol in the blood, and because most of this cholesterol comes from diet, Greenland said, people have been looking for non-drug approaches to treatment.
While many diet approaches for lowering cholesterol, such as the Mediterranean diet, are potentially preventive, Greenland remained skeptical that one particular nutrient could hold the answer.
“It is hard for me, personally, to believe that any single nutrient is going to be a magic bullet for coronary heart disease, mainly because there are so many causes and contributors,” he said.
“Not to say it couldn’t be a contributor,” he added. “I wouldn’t doubt that there are single nutrients that are more important than others.”
Mendelson said this study is the first to look at taurine as a nutrient and health benefit to women with high cholesterol, but she’s not yet convinced to start recommending it to her patients.
“We really talk to people that chicken fat is not a great thing, so this is something that’s a little different. I don’t think it’s totally conclusive,” she said. “There’s more animal fat in dark meat typically and we tell our patients to avoid it.”
Chen said that although results from the study were very interesting, more research is still needed.
“I think medicines are still the main intervention for individuals with high cholesterol,” she said. dark meat consumption could be supplemental, but it won’t replace medicine yet, she added.
Although taurine is a popular supplement and ingredient in energy drinks, it’s unclear whether the man-made additive will have the same benefits for those with high cholesterol. No studies have observed the association between taurine intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to researchers.
Chen said further research is needed to isolate taurine as a possible nutrient supplement.