Giuliana Lomazzi (Terra Nuova Edzioni)
This is the dramatic combination that face scholars for the future of our oversize children. A red alert to be reckoned with.
We are accustomed to associate cardiovascular disease with middle age, and certainly not with youth. But in July 2012, the disturbing results of a Dutch study (1) have proposed a deterioration in the health of children.
Researchers at the Medical Center University in Amsterdam have collected between 2005 and 2007, the data of the unit of the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance, based on the documentation of pediatricians on children and adolescents for ages 2-18 with severe obesity, for a total of 500 individuals diagnosed during the reporting period. 62% of severely obese children for ages 2-12 and younger had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease: hypertension in 56%, in 14% high blood sugar, low good cholesterol in 54%. In short, the cardiovascular risk interested 2/3 of them.
Little comforting data.
The news does not come as a bolt from the blue: for years, the experts warn of the dangers of not checking the waistband of children. That often is unnoticed: in January 2011, a national survey conducted in the UK in 1000 parents showed that mom and dad were angry or surprised being told that their son was too fat: 14% of parents of obese 4- seven years children thought of a simple overweight!
British children are no exception, the whole Western world is concerned. In Europe, the 2010 WHO data, collected since 2007 in 15 countries, speak of 24% of obese for ages 6 and 9. And the statistics in 2011 of the auxologic Institute of Milan tell an even more dramatic reality for our country, bottom of the league for the European Union: 36% of kids around 8 years old are overweight or obese.
The statistics came a few months after the report presented by Professor Pier Luigi Rossi, a doctor specializing in science, in front of the Parliament Commission for Children and Adolescents, led by Alessandra Mussolini.
The parliamentary hearing.
"Scientific evaluations were acquired and they show that, if an effective response to childhood obesity won’t be realized in the short term, the risk will be that for the first time in the last hundred years, new generations of children will live less than their parents," said the specialist. Indeed, the first years of life are crucial for the well-being in adulthood: a healthy old age must be cultivated from an early age, and then the parents have to pave the way for the future health of the offspring.
Rossi then handled the causes starting from conception. "Childhood obesity is already born in the womb when the mother has rapid changes in blood sugar and insulin spikes. The absence of breastfeeding, dietary errors during weaning, foods that are too rich in protein and gluten, are other causes that favor the spread of obesity and intestinal intolerance and food allergies. The spread of celiac disease is really worrying. "
The scientist believes that the reasons behind it is the reduction in sensory now "homogenized “ capacity of children, with a consequent removal of these (and adults) from the original Mediterranean diet, based on the abundance of plant products at the expense of animals.
But mistakes do not end here. "The children also exceed the daily intake of simple carbohydrates, which are responsible for an increase in blood sugar and insulin. These conditions move the whole metabolism towards lipogenesis, or obesity. Children for ages 10-12 suffer more and more of hepatic steatosis (2). The excess fat accumulated generates an early menarche in girls, while in males a delay in pubertal development. "
Not to mention that being chubby as children makes it hard to be thin as adults, because there is an increase in size (hypertrophy) and number (hyperplasia) of fat cells, which then hardly leave.
We have under the eyes the evident short-term effects: out of breath with minimal exertion, derided from companions, fall of self-esteem, clumsy movements, aching joints. Therefore, from the point of view of physics the future is not bright (not even for the health insurance companies, forced to meet the needs of elderly people with mobility problems).
Unheeded reports.
The voice of the experts, however, seems to fall into the void, also because of a food industry with many products high in fat and sugar and a relentless advertising aimed just at children. In this regard, Rossi pointed out that in this area, nations such as the UK, France and Spain have the most advanced laws to protect children.
The results of a 2010 survey organized by "Okkio alla salute," a government project started in 2007 with the goal of promoting health and healthy growth of children of primary school, say a lot about it. About 68% of children exceeds with the mid-morning snack; 47% consume fizzy and sugary drinks. As for physical activity, 22% do sport for just one hour a week and only 1 among 4 goes to school on foot or by bicycle. On the other hand, 46% have a tv in the room, and 38% spend at least 3 hours a day in front of it (the count also includes video games).
(1) van Emmerik Nathalie M. A., Renders Carry M. et al., “High cardiovascular risk in severely obese young children and adolescents”, Arch Dis Child 2012-301877.
(2) Of the so-called "fatty liver". The excessive accumulation of fat leads to inflammation of the body that, over time, can lead to liver failure.
The Ten Commandments of prevention.
No longer is the time to think, came to act by choosing a balanced diet for yourself and your children. Here is in short a set of guidelines.
1 Breastfeeding. "Breast milk meets all the nutritional requirements necessary for the development of the central nervous (brain), immune and hormonal systems" writes biologist Michela Trevisan in Weaning according to nature (Terra Nuova Edizioni, 2010). "It also sets your body composition by creating the right amount of muscle mass and fat mass."
2. Green diet. The vegetables should form the basis of the diet, accompanied by fruit. Everything always in season.
3 Whole cereals (be careful, as all products rich in fiber should be gradually incorporated into the diet of children): reasons to prefer them to the refined cereals are evident in the words of Rossi. We remind you that there is not only pasta but also the cereals in grain. And at least two to three times a week we prefer the ones without gluten (millet, rice, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat).
4 No refined sugar. A recent study in California (1) speaks of it as a dangerous product, that can be addictive as alcohol and tobacco. The scientists show that in 50 years the consumption has tripled and that over the same period there has been a worldwide pandemic of obesity. Refined sugar is harmful and not at all essential in the diet; There are many natural sweeteners (malt, agave, etc..) which, if used in moderation, can sweeten life happily.
5. Legumes. Associated with whole grains, vegetable protein of legumes give all the essential amino acids without the problems caused by the misuse of meat and fish and dairy products.
6 Water. It is the element that makes up most of our body, which is essential for many functions. So this must be the drink of choice, along with broths and herbal teas, and not the sugary drinks and sodas.
7 Variety. Used for not boring the palate, for taking in many nutrients, for preventing intolerances and allergies.
8 Organic and local products. Giving children food without chemical contaminants is definitely better, preferring, where possible, the 0 km.
9. moderation. The more you eat ... Note especially the fat, especially saturated fat. Extra virgin olive oil and a little oil seeds are the best choices in the field of lipids.
10 Physical Activity. It is the essential corollary of diet to prevent obesity and the diseases of our rich civilizations.
…what about vegetarian children?
Without meat and fish children are more slender, but not necessarily emaciated! "Some studies have observed that vegans children, who eat only plant foods, at the age of 10 years are about 2.5 inches shorter and 2 to 4 pounds lighter than omnivore children," says the professor Umberto Veronesi. "but the latter are reached by vegans children at the age of 12. On the other hand, the always faster growth of omnivorous children is not healthy. "
How to convince your children? Here are some suggestions.
- Use affection and firmness, never imposing.
- If a food is rejected do not insist too much, propose it again later in another way.
- Propose fruit salads or vegetables.
- Offer vegetables cut with a potato peeler.
- Experience with the skewers or with vegetable puree.
- Involve the child in the grocery shopping and in the preparation of the dishes. (he will hardly reject what is prepared by him).
- If nothing works do not propose unhealthy alternatives, like fries; in the next meal he will eat without much resistance!
- If the child asks again for dessert you can accept, but say he has to wait. a quarter of an hour; then hunger usually cease
- Encourage children to play outdoors, giving them a bit of time for activities outside the home
