Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Parents and doctors often overlook how overweight kids are, which could leave youngsters at increased risk for health problems linked to excess weight, British researchers say. They reviewed 87 studies that included nearly 25,000 children, age 19 and younger, and their parents. The researchers found that 55% of parents underestimated how much excess weight their children were carrying, and 34% of kids underestimated their own weight. Even health care providers sometimes missed the mark. Parents of younger kids were less likely to recognize a weight problem, and were less accurate at gauging boys’ weight than girls’. Overweight parents and those with less education were more likely to underestimate their child’s weight problem. In some of the studies reviewed, parents often described their children as big-boned, thick or solid, and they demonstrated a strong desire to avoid labeling their child obese. The research review is to be presented Saturday at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Glasgow, Scotland. Studies presented at meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. This research dovetails with a 10-fold increase over four decades in the number of obese children and teens worldwide — from 5 million girls in 1975 to 50 million in 2016, and from 6 million to 74 million boys. “Despite attempts to raise public awareness of the obesity problem, our findings indicate that… read on >

Being obese and commuting by car can be a deadly mix, a new study warns. Researchers analyzed data on more than 163,000 adults, aged 37 to 73, in the United Kingdom. The participants were followed for an average of five years. Compared to people of normal weight who walked or cycled to work (active commuters), those who were obese and commuted by car had a 32% higher risk of early death from any cause; twice the risk of dying from heart disease; and a 59% higher risk for non-fatal heart disease. Obesity was defined by the researchers as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. As an example, a person who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall weighing 204 pounds has a BMI of just over 30. The study also found that overall risk of early death among obese people who were active commuters was similar to that for active commuters whose weight was normal. That suggests cycling or walking to work could reduce the harmful effects of obesity. However, the risk of heart disease was still 82% higher for obese active commuters than for normal-weight active commuters, researchers said. “Our findings, if causal, suggest that people with overweight or obesity could potentially decrease the risk of premature mortality if… read on >

Starting at age 7, kids can get stuck in a vicious cycle of obesity and emotional problems that is hard to escape, British researchers say. Investigators are not sure what triggers the struggle, but new study findings suggest that, over time, youngsters who are obese are likely to develop anxiety and moodiness, while those with emotional problems are more apt to become obese. “Awareness and understanding that higher weight and emotional problems often occur together might be important for parents,” said study co-author Charlotte Hardman, a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool in England. “For health care practitioners working in prevention and early intervention, targeting both health outcomes might be of benefit.” Hardman and co-author Praveetha Patalay tracked the mental health and body mass index (BMI) of more than 17,000 British kids born between 2000 and 2002. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.) Although the researchers found no connection between obesity and emotional issues among very young children, the link was clear by age 7 and strengthened as kids got older. Kids who were obese at age 7 had a greater risk of emotional difficulties at age 11, which then predicted a high BMI at 14, the study authors found. “Specifically, higher body mass index and emotional problems tended to occur together in mid-childhood and adolescence, from ages… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Magnesium is a mineral that is important for regular bodily function, says the Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium is commonly found in various plant-based and animal-based foods. Foods that are high in magnesium include: Almonds, cashews and peanuts. Spinach and other leafy vegetables. Soymilk. Black beans and edamame. Peanut butter. Bread. Avocado. Potato. Rice.

The idea behind immunotherapy for peanut allergy is appealing in its simplicity: Ask a patient to eat tiny amounts of peanut every day, and over time their immune system will become desensitized to it. Unfortunately, this cure might be doing more harm than the allergy itself, a new evidence review suggests. People who undergo immunotherapy for their peanut allergies wind up with a large increase in life-threatening anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions, compared to others who either avoid peanuts or are in a placebo group, researchers concluded. Peanut immunotherapy triples a patient’s risk of anaphylaxis and doubles the chances they’ll need to use epinephrine to counter a severe allergic reaction. “We found that patients on immunotherapy, their quality of life wasn’t any better,” said lead researcher Dr. Derek Chu, a fellow in clinical immunology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “Outside of the clinic, they actually end up having more allergic reactions over time.” Chu’s team discovered this troubling fact after pooling results of 12 peanut immunotherapy trials involving more than 1,000 patients. “If you looked at each study one by one, you might not see that,” Chu said. “When you combine them all, and you analyze all 1,000 patients in unison, then you can actually see it.” Food allergies affect more than 6 million people, including as many as 8% of children and 3%… read on >

Another reason breast is best: Breast milk boosts levels of chemicals crucial for brain growth and development in premature babies with a very low birth weight, a new study reveals. “Our previous research established that vulnerable preterm infants who are fed breast milk early in life have improved brain growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes,” said Catherine Limperopoulos, director of MRI research of the developing brain at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. However, she added, “It was unclear what makes breastfeeding so beneficial for newborns’ developing brains.” For the new study, her team used “proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy” to solve the mystery. The non-invasive imaging reveals the chemical makeup of specific brain structures, enabling researchers to measure metabolites essential for growth. With this technology, the researchers examined the brains of very low birth weight babies (under 3.3 pounds). The infants were born after no more than 32 weeks of pregnancy. The team focused on the right frontal white matter and the cerebellum, a brain region that’s involved in balance, muscle coordination and supports high-order mental functions. Compared to formula-fed babies, those fed breast milk had significantly higher levels of inositol in the cerebral white matter, and significantly higher creatine levels. Study lead author Katherine Ottolini explained that “key metabolite levels ramp up during the times babies’ brains experience exponential growth.” The percentage of days infants… read on >

As e-cigarette use soars in high schools across America, new research shows many people don’t understand the amount of addictive nicotine they’re inhaling with every puff. In a new survey, many teens said they regularly used e-cigarettes, but swore they only vaped nicotine-free products. However, urine tests for a “marker” of nicotine use came up positive 40% of the time in this same group of vapers, the researchers reported. “Many of our participants were unaware of the nicotine content of the e-cigarette products they were using,” concluded a team led by Dr. Rachel Boykan, a pediatrics researcher at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. That could mean even more lifelong nicotine addictions arising in the young, including many who already believe vaping to be “harmless” compared to traditional smoking, experts said. Patricia Folan directs the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. She said, “Other studies have revealed that one of the main reasons adolescents use e-cigarettes is that they perceive them to be less harmful than combustible cigarettes — without full knowledge of their actual contents.” But the new study “shows that many of the participating youth were unaware of the nicotine content in their vaping devices,” Folan said. The study findings were published online April 22 in the journal Pediatrics. As Boykan’s group noted, about one in five… read on >

The body’s immune system is designed to fight off threats, like infection-causing germs, through a process called inflammation. But a steady state of inflammation can lead to everything from diabetes to autoimmune diseases to heart disease to cancer. Many of these health threats don’t come from foreign invaders like scary bacteria, but from some everyday foods you’re probably eating. Removing inflammation-provoking foods from your diet, or at least limiting them, can help you do a better job of protecting your well-being. For many of the most common chronic diseases spurred by inflammation, the starting point is obesity. And obesity is often the result of overeating foods that foster inflammation. Most — though not all — of the foods that cause inflammation deliver minimal nutrition. Processed foods made with refined white flour and white sugar are top culprits. These include packaged white breads and rolls, baked goods and candy. Soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are in the same category. Fried foods and fats — such as margarine, shortening and lard — also promote inflammation. So do processed red meats, like bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami and other deli meats. Even lean red meat should be limited to once or twice a week. Replace these foods with those known to be anti-inflammatory, those high in natural antioxidants and other protective compounds. These include good-for-you fats such as… read on >

Even though marijuana triggers the “munchies” in many people, adults who use the drug tend to weigh less than nonusers, a new study finds. The finding stems from data on the weight of 33,000 Americans, 18 and older. Researchers found that all gained weight over three years. However, those who used pot bulked up less than those who did not. The study also found that new and persistent marijuana users were less likely to be overweight or obese than nonusers. “We found that users, even those who just started, were more likely to be at a normal, healthier weight and stay at that weight,” said lead author Omayma Alshaarawy. She’s an assistant professor of family medicine at Michigan State University. “Only 15% of persistent users were considered obese compared to 20% of nonusers,” Alshaarawy said in a university news release. The weight difference among users and nonusers was modest — about 2 pounds for someone 5 feet, 7 inches tall who weighed about 200 pounds at the start of the study. “An average 2-pound difference doesn’t seem like much, but we found it in more than 30,000 people with all different kinds of behaviors and still got this result,” Alshaarawy said. Because the study only found an association between weight and marijuana use, several factors may explain why users are less likely to pack on… read on >