CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

 Childhood Obesity And Carbohydrate Intake: A Retrospective Study

 

 Any reasonable person would agree that we as a whole realize obesity is an issue in this country. Sometimes we can deny how big this problem is, but if you pay attention and see, you will realize that we have an epidemic on our hands. This will cripple our nation in terms of rising healthcare costs, unemployment, and a general lack of happiness and vitality in a person's life. Not only expensive but just sad.

Worse still on the horizon are the thousands of children who are now facing this terrifying scenario at a young age. Kids are currently being determined to have pre-diabetes, hypertension, and excessive cholesterol. This is often directly related to their weight. And not only big children. Children as young as 3 or 4 years old see these high numbers in laboratory results. The inquiry is: what do we do in this situation?

After secondary school, I worked for some time at a WIC (Ladies, Babies, and Youngsters)clinic. My job is to advise parents with high-risk children and pregnant women about healthy eating. For some, it was the only time they ever received an education. It was a rewarding experience. Unfortunately, we often see that young children quickly climb the growth curve. The system will flag these people and remind them to discuss ways to reduce calories every time. Switching to low-fat milk, reducing portion sizes, or drinking less water is recommended. Sometimes this response works, and sometimes it doesn't. To be honest, we don't always know what the right solution is. The main goal is how to make parents understand that things need to change. A simple instruction like "eat healthily" is not going to cut it.

That is the reason this new review that came out late grabbed my eye. It brought me back to those WIC days and made me think about how I would approach these clients differently if I knew how to provide more direct and positive counseling with specific health outcomes. You see, people often forget that when you work in healthcare, tips are simple and easy to remember. I'm not saying individuals are foolish or indifferent, yet they ought not to be in my office on account of their inclinations and wants. They had to be there, so I held them for a few minutes. If we can convince them simply and firmly with a solution that will work, that's a message that works.

So back to studying. The main goal is to determine whether changes in the type of sugar consumed, or changes in the total macronutrient or caloric content can affect key biochemical markers of health. Some markers to look at before and after meals include fasting blood glucose levels, insulin levels, cholesterol levels, and the liver enzymes AST and ALT.

The research design is as follows. They recruited a group of children aged 6 to 18 with a high BMI and at least one other comorbidity (hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, fasting blood glucose, hyperinsulinemia, alanine aminotransferase, or severe acanthosis nigricans) and assessed their macronutrient intake. and calorie intake. The goal is to remain stable throughout the exercise and the weight.

On day 1 of the study, a fasting blood sample and an oral glucose tolerance test were performed. After that, they should start eating only the food provided by the clinic. These foods meet the exact macronutrient intake mentioned earlier. The only changes are replacing added sugars, usually with fructose, and replacing other types of carbohydrates with things like bagels, grains, fruit, pasta, and bread. The amount of dietary sugar and fructose was reduced to 10% and 4% respectively. Is it enough to see a change in overall health?

CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE:

As I'm sure you can guess, it had a significant effect. Not in 3 months, not in 1 month - in 10 short days. So this research quickly caught my attention. If this is true, I think (and I hope future studies will continue to confirm), this is a direct and easy message to give parents and older children. Cut back on added sugar, eat other types of carbohydrates (with colorful portions, of course) and watch your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease increase.

It is also interesting to note that the participants in the study had trouble keeping their weight very stable, meaning they lost a small amount of total weight, which the researchers noted could shed some light on the latter results. With nutrition, you have to wonder in the real world, but if you need to monitor your macronutrient intake, weight loss is not just a natural product of changing the type of carbon you consume.

I won't dive into the exact numerical findings here, but you can study them for yourself using the links provided at the beginning of this article. Also worth reading a.

This is a take-home message. The types of carbohydrates we eat are important, and they certainly are important for children. Added sugar should be eliminated from our diet. I'm not saying vegetables and grains are the answer, but we can't ignore what refined sugar has done to our diet, especially in the foods and products offered to our youth. For those of us in public health, we can use this study as a clear example of a simple and tangible way to change the health of others. You can't solve every problem, but you can empower clients on their path to better health.