Childhood ObesityWritten by Karen Zastudil
Not long ago, my neighbor took her 6 year old son to his pediatrician for a routine examination. After which she was shocked to learn that twenty pounds he had gained in past year placed him on charts as obese. Her son had always been "stocky", but he had always experienced growth spurts that seemed to keep him within normal ranges of other children his age. Why didn't my neighbor recognize her child was obese? Because, oddly enough, "Obesity tends to be in eye of beholder." Many parents are simply in denial, especially when overweight child is very young. Parents often overlook their child's weight problem by believing it is something they will outgrow. The seriousness of obesity in children has led to many government studies. One such study in 2002 indicated that 15 percent of children between ages of 6 - 19 are dangerously overweight. A more recent study done in January, 2004 indicated that 31 percent of teenage girls and 28 percent of teenage boys are somewhat overweight, but "an additional 15 percent of teenage girls and 14 percent of teenage boys are obese. How is it determined that someone is obese? The numbers here vary by source, but to give you a general range, if a child weighs more than 20 percent above expected weight for their age, height, and body build, they are considered to be obese. As these numbers continue to grow at an alarming rate, we might ask ourselves "what is causing our children to become obese" and "why is it on rise"? There is no one cause for obesity, but several factors stood out as being notably different today than in any other time. Today we live in a "fast food", "convenience food" world, and very few people can say that their eating habits are not affected. Our children live a much more sedentary lifestyle than generations before them. It was also interesting to note biological link between stress and drive to eat. Comfort foods that are readily available seem to calm body's response to chronic stress. "In addition, hormones produced when one is under stress encourage formation of fat cells."
| | Flatulence (intestinal gas) odor control for those who care!Written by Frank Morosky
As adults mature, prevalence of gas, a product of digestive process, often becomes more frequent. Uncontrollable gas release is becoming a growing problem for older adults, with socially embarrassing consequences. If a very conservative estimate of 5% of Americans over age of 45 have this problem to degree that they want to do something about it, that constitutes a group of over 14 million men and women seeking a solution.The average person expels gas 14 times every day. The amount of gas released ranges from as little as one cup to as much as one half gallon per day. Gas is made primarily of odorless vapors such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sometimes methane. The unpleasant odor of flatulence comes from bacteria in large intestine that release small amounts of gases that contain hydrogen sulfide. Flatulence occurs when a food does not break down completely in stomach and small intestine. As a result, food makes it into large intestine in an undigested state. The body does not digest and absorb some carbohydrates (the sugar, starches, and fiber found in many foods) in small intestine because of a shortage or absence of certain enzymes. This undigested food then passes from small intestine into large intestine, where normal, harmless bacteria break down food, producing gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and, in about one-third of all people, methane. Eventually these gases exit through rectum. Foods that produce gas Certain foods produce more flatulence than others because they contain more indigestible carbohydrates than others. Beans are well-known gas producers. The beans pass through small intestine and arrive in large intestine without being digested, which causes flatulence to occur. Unfortunately, healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans and peas) are often worst offenders. That's because these foods are high in fiber which is an indigestible cellulose. Fiber has many health benefits, including keeping your digestive tract in good working order, regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and helping prevent heart attacks and other heart problems. But it can also lead to forming gas. Medical conditions that cause gas If you are "lactose intolerant," it means that you lack an enzyme (lactase) in your intestine. This is enzyme that breaks lactose apart into two sugar molecules so they can enter bloodstream. Without lactase, lactose passes undigested through stomach and small intestine. Once it arrives in colon, lactose meets up with billions of hungry bacteria that are happy to digest lactose. They produce a variety of gases, in much way that yeast produces carbon dioxide to leaven bread. There are an estimated 16 million diabetics in United States, and that many have difficulty in coping with or controlling their diabetes. Certain medical conditions such as Crohn’s Disease, Colitis, IBD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Celiac Disease cause people to have excessive flatulence because of their impaired digestion. A diagnosis of IBS has been reported by 10 to 20% of adults in United States, and symptoms of IBS are responsible for over 3 million yearly visits to physicians. IBS exhibits a predominance in women, with females representing over 70% of IBS sufferers.
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