Modern signs of childhood obesity

Times have changed.

“When we started the clinic 15 years ago, we primarily saw kids who had congenital heart problems; problems they had inherited,” says Brian McCrindle, chief of the paediatric cholesterol and cardiac clinics and a cardiologist at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital. “Today we’re seeing obesity as the cause of these problems. And it’s not just my clinic. Across the board, gastroenterologists are seeing an increase in fatty livers; endocrinologists are seeing a boom in diabetes.”

Dr. McCrindle could well have added juvenile heart attack, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, unsafe cholesterol levels, and stroke to this inventory, all on the rise and caused in large measure by unhealthy weight gain in children. “The implications of what happens when kids become overweight is like putting the pedal to the floor in accelerating atherosclerosis,” he says, adding yet another obesity-related condition to the list.

Childhood obesity has become so bad that a new populist label has been coined to describe what happens when kids suffer with three or more symptoms. “This cluster of risks is loosely defined as ‘metabolic syndrome’,” Dr. McCrindle says, explaining that these risks together make children more susceptible to further problems.

Lifestyle changes for long-term health

Dr. McCrindle blames the epidemic on calorie-dense, sugary foods marketed directly to kids. This, he says, comes at a time when physical activity is being programmed out of school and an explosion of media-based pursuits is replacing outdoor activity. “It takes two minutes to eat a chocolate bar, and 40 minutes of running to use up those calories.” He says schools must teach children fitness routines for life, otherwise heart conditions and other “diseases of the old" will more and more become diseases of the young. “We need a coordinated action plan.”

Dr. McCrindle advises parents to make sure their children are snacking on fruits and vegetables. He says the only thing children over the age of two should be drinking is low-fat milk or water with their meals. He also says there should be limits set on computer and other passive activities. “If possible, being active with your children is the best example you can set,” he says.

The alternative to being active and eating right

Bariatric surgery, where the stomach is surgically reduced up to a tenth of its size, is now performed routinely in the U.S. on children. A smaller stomach means less food can go in it at any one time. The surgery is a last-ditch attempt at weight loss and like any operation, should not be taken lightly.