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Are You Healthier Than a Fifth-Grader?
By Christina Quick | July 7, 2008
As alarm bells ring over high childhood obesity rates, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending cholesterol medications for kids as young as 8.
At least a third of children today are said to be overweight, and 17 percent are obese. Experts say this is the first generation in modern times that is expected to suffer more health problems than their parents.
“If we are more aggressive about this in childhood, I think we can have an impact on what happens later in life … and avoid some of these heart attacks and strokes in adulthood,” says Dr. Stephen Daniels, a member of the academy’s nutrition committee.
Daniels says the recommendation stems, in part, from recent research showing cholesterol medications are generally safe for kids.
Does that mean we should start passing out pills like candy and see what happens? To me, long-term medication seems like a drastic step. Though high cholesterol is a serious concern, I question whether kids really need more chemicals in their bodies. There has to be a better way.
For starters, parents need to take responsibility for trimming the trans fats and high fructose corn syrup from their children’s diets. It’s a fact that most of the food products aggressively marketed to kids are patently unhealthy. I can’t recall ever seeing an ad for carrot sticks during Saturday morning programming. Kids are being encouraged to eat things that are not good for them. It’s up to responsible adults to decide Pop Tarts, McMuchies and Pepsi are not acceptable food choices.
The American Heart Association’s recommendation for improving cholesterol includes eating a diet rich in produce and whole grains and low in saturated fats, and exercising at least 30 minutes a day.
Instead of treating kids like miniature geriatric patients, why not pry the Doritos and TV remote controls from their hands and send them outside for some old fashioned, cholesterol-lowering activities?
Topics: Health |
July 9th, 2008 at 10:22 am
It’s nice to see other parents who enjoy sharing their outdoor interests with their children. All too many times I see parents allowing their kids to consume mass amounts of soda and junk food. Maybe it’s just me but allowing a 6/7 year old drink diet coke or pepsi just seems wrong. Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading more of your blog in the future.