Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• Not all that surprising, but a new study claims U.S. middle school students are out of shape. Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine scientists determined half of 5th and 7th graders in Georgia were unable to reach minimum standards for aerobic fitness, 30% of students were overweight and 22% did not get the recommended 60 minutes exercise a day; Reuters reports.

• On the flipside, kids who get plenty of exercise have less depression. In adults, exercise releases endorphins helping people feel more upbeat, same goes for children. A study printed in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology divided overweight, sedentary kids, ages 7 to 11, into two exercise groups, one for 20 minutes a day and the other for 40 minutes, revealing as exercise increased so did the psychological benefits; via Booster Shots.

• And for women, fast-paced walking may be extra good for weight-loss. Researchers discovered women who did three shorter, fast-paced walks a week lost 5 times more belly fat than women walking at a moderate pace 5 days a week, despite both groups burning the same number of calories per workout, without dieting; from Prevention.

• More love for vitamin D. New research in the Archives of Internal Medicine found daily supplements of vitamin D may reduce the risk of various bone breaks. The study, involving 42,279 adults, ages 65 and older, linked vitamin D with a 14% lower risk of non-vertebral fractures and 9% less risk of hip fractures. However, low-dose vitamin D supplements did not decrease the chance of fracture; via NutraIngredients.

• Now this is cool. The American Psychiatric Association will end drug industry-sponsored medical seminars and continuing medical education courses, as well as phasing out meals served at the meetings paid for by drug-makers. One representative of the association said they have decided to separate their professional education from industries involved with psychiatry; The New York Times reports.

• An update on last year’s milk-melamine scandal, a Chinese court will hear the first lawsuit from a family seeking damages for a child poisoned by drinking tainted milk. The parent is seeking 31,000 yuan, or $4,538, from the now bankrupt milk-producer at the center of the scandal. In China, nearly 300,000 children were sickened by contaminated milk, with 90% of affected families accepting state-backed compensation deals; Reuters investigates.

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• I guess I’m going to die soon, because I’m a big dummy! New findings in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine reveals an association between higher IQ and decreased mortality, i.e. death, in men. Researchers believe people with higher IQ test scores are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol and more likely to eat better and exercise; ScienceDaily reports.

• More bad news for obesity! A study published in the current issue of the Archives of Surgery claims obese pancreatic cancer patients are 12 times more likely to see their cancer worsen and spread to their lymph nodes. Individuals with a body mass index greater than 23 survived an average of 13.2 months after cancer surgery, while patients with a BMI of less than 23 lasted 27.4 months; via Health Magazine.

• Presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, scientists have determined teenagers with higher intakes of vitamin D may have less abdominal fat than adolescents with vitamin D deficiencies. Data revealed white boys had the highest intake of vitamin D, with African-American girls having the lowest; from NutraIngredients.

• Bisphenol A, a toxic compound used to make plastic and found to interfere with brain cells, may be banned from food and drink containers under a new federal bill proposed to the House and Senate last Friday. Spearheaded by senators from New York, Massachusetts and California, the bill aims to protect children from BPA, which has also been linked to cancer, such as breast and testicular; The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains.

• Another study discussed at the Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition suggests not getting enough sleep may heighten the risk diabetes. Experts said people who sleep less than six hours per night were 4.5 times more likely to have abnormal blood sugar levels than individuals getting more sleep. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night; Reuters reports.

• A federal judge has rejected the appeal by 15 California organic almond growers to stop regulations mandating that raw almonds to be treated before sale. Current laws require almonds to be chemically pasteurized or heat-treated. This stem from fears over health risks such as salmonella, but is angering raw food devotees who rely on raw almonds for vitamins and foods like almond milk; via TreeHugger.

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Presented at this year's American Heart Association's Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention researchers claim overweight children as young as age 3 can starting showing signs of cardiovascular disease. Data on over 3,090 kids, ages 3 to 6, revealed good cholesterol levels (HDL) were lower in overweight children and C-reactive protein levels, associated with coronary events, were elevated in kids with higher body mass indexes; HealthDay News explains.

It’s true. Dr. Fuhrman points out that lipoprotein abnormality, i.e. high LDL and low HDL, which cause heart attack deaths in adulthood start to develop in early childhood. What you eat as a kid affects lifetime cholesterol levels, but don’t fret! Maybe you’re like me and ate fairly crappy early on, no worries. Start gobbling down fruits and veggies and you can aggressively reverse any damage you’ve done!

Now this is really scary. Children already have the attention span of a flea and previous studies link low HDL to poor memory. And worse, when kids grow up and want to play football, they’re encouraged to get big and bulk up which just like professional football players, inflates their risk of heart disease.

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New research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests quadrupling Vitamin D levels in the winter. For the study, scientists recruited 112 women, average age of 22.2, giving some a placebo between March 2005 and September 2005 and then given a placebo or a vitamin D supplement until February 2006. At the end of the experiment, women on the vitamin D supplement had higher serum levels 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 35.3 nanomoles per liter compared to only 10.9 nanomoles per liter. The body manufactures Vitamin D from ultra-violet light derived from the sun; NutraIngredients reports.

Dr. Fuhrman is a huge proponent of vitamin D, especially for bone health, more so than calcium. Vitamin D also helps reduce risk of hip fractures, multiple sclerosis and boosts physical strength in young girls. And it was not too long ago the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested doubling kids’ intake of vitamin D, citing evidence vitamin D helps prevent serious illness, like cancer and diabetes.

Vitamin D deficiency has drawn increased attention over the past few months. Previous studies have associated insufficient Vitamin D with stunted growth, hypertension and rickets. In the winter, when the days are shorter and sunlight is in short supply, therapeutic lights can keep the sunshine coming.

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If you’re kid can’t concentrate. He might have high blood pressure. New research in the Journal of Pediatrics claims children with hypertension struggle with complicated tasks and have more memory problems than kids with normal blood pressure. The study involved 32 children, ages 10 to 18, newly diagnosed with hypertension, and paired them up with 32 kids with normal blood pressure. Parents of both sets of kids were surveyed to determine their children’s mental aptitude and data revealed the hypertensive group performed more poorly and had more anxiety and depression; ScienceDaily investigates.

Many people don’t realize it, but heart disease starts young. Dr. Fuhrman explains that lipoprotein abnormalities, i.e. problems with high LDL and low HDL, associated with heart attack deaths in adulthood, begin in childhood and bad foods habits, like eating a lot of saturated fat, are established when you’re a kid. That’s why it’s important for the whole family to eat healthfully, that way everyone can avoid heart disease and high blood pressure.

But some health officials would sooner put kids on statins than educate them and their parents on the benefits of improved nutrition. Fortunately, other experts call giving kids statins a monumental failure.

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Eating low calorie foods may offset genes strongly associated with obesity. Printed in PLoS ONE, experts studied 2,275 children, finding kids who consumed an energy (or calorie) dense diet, such as fatty foods, had more fat mass after 3 years. Researchers then looked to see if children carrying the obesity gene had an increased risk of getting fat with a high energy diet. They did not. Meaning the effects of eating a low-energy diet, more fruits and vegetables, may not be impaired by genetics; EurekAlert reports.

Another report indicated kids with a certain gene variant are more likely to consume junk food, such as sweets, which can lead to weight gain. But I guess ditching the sweets and eating more fruit and veggies would squash this gene too. So can family lifestyle! If a family eats healthfully, it reduces the risk of obesity linked to family history.

Fruits and vegetables are excellent low-calorie foods, specifically green veggies. Foods like Romaine lettuce, broccoli, kale and Swiss chard are low-energy and highly nutritious!

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When I was just a little blogger, my mom put the kibosh on a lot of foods. No chips. No bacon. No white bread. No fast food. No snack cakes. And I’m sure there were others, but I’m too emotionally scarred to remember. Now, did all this make be neurotic? No, never!

Sorry. Sarcasm doesn’t translate well in written form. But seriously, some doctors and nutritionists believe uber vigilant parents who classify certain foods as bad, such as salt and sugar, and other foods as good, like veggies, might be driving their kids crazy.

Some say parents can be too obsessive about their children’s diet and despite their good intentions cause food anxieties. Experts worry this can lead to clinical eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which have been diagnosed in increasing numbers among young people over the past two decades. In the past, weight-gain was the criteria for bad foods, like fat and sugar, but that has evolved into a broader concept of health concerns, such as diabetes, heart disease and hyperactivity; The New York Times investigates.

Personally, I wouldn’t say my mom’s food tyranny made me anxious. For the most part, it kept me in check. To this day I’ve never had Whiz. Even when I was fat and bloated I avoided the horrible foods. Sure, I ate poorly, but never Big Macs, nachos or Little Debbie.

Now, if I have kids—wow, I just got the chills—I’ll lead by example, like Dr. Fuhrman says. I’ll eat my veggies and encourage my kid to do the same. I won’t keep crap in the house. And if little Gerry asks, I’ll tell him other daddies let their kids eat junk because they’re mean. Kidding!

Via Slash Food.

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To be published in an upcoming issue of Thorax, new research claims children who watch more than two hours of television each day have a higher risk of asthma. The study tracked respiratory function of 3,000 children from birth to 11.5 years of age. Starting at age 3.5, parents were asked to describe their child’s respiratory health and if they manifested any symptoms, such as wheezing, or if they had been diagnosed with asthma. Data revealed only 6% of kids developed asthma, but those watching two or more hours of TV each day were twice as likely have asthma; HealthDay News reports.

Sitting around watching Sponge Bob all day isn’t healthy, especially since previous research has associated obesity with a greater likelihood of asthma, as well as exposure to common household chemicals like cleaning sprays and air fresheners. So get the kids out of the house!

In related news, traffic pollution, specifically polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the byproduct of incomplete gasoline combustion, has been linked to asthma risk in babies.

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