No More Mr. Fat Guy!

A new joint US/UK study finds that increasing kids’ physical activity by as little as 15 minutes a day can cut a kid’s odds of getting fat in half.  Healthy food choices and portion control are big factors, too, but it’s obvious that lack of exercise is a big part of why our kids are getting so fat.  I don’t know about you, but I was required to take a phys ed class every day up until 9th grade.  From what I understand, nowadays many, if not most, elementary and middle schools don’t even offer phys ed, let alone require it.

Researchers in England gave fat kids a supplement containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and encouraged them to modify their diets. They didn’t have much success getting the kids to eat better, and they didn’t lose any weight, but they made three years progress in concentration, reading, memory, and mental agility in only three months, according to this article.

And here’s an article that says that a lot of omega-3 acids are poor quality, and not worth taking, and how to tell if yours are any good.  You should take a pin and drain the contents of the capsule onto a solid (not paper) plate, and then put it in the freezer for around five hours.  If it’s frozen or slushy, it’s probably poor quality oil.  It should either evaporate or stay liquid.

Then keep them away from the television.  The more they watch, the fatter they tend to be.  And childhood development experts say kids shouldn’t watch any TV until they’re at least 2 years old.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic all over America, but in minority neighborhoods in Chicago it’s becoming an outright crisis:

But two out of every three children in Chicago’s minority neighborhoods are overweight or obese - a number that far surpasses already disturbing national averages, according to a 2004 study by the Sinai Urban Health Institute.

A researcher in England is claiming that increased activity has no effect on overweight kids.

Professor Wilkin said children’s activity levels had no bearing on their body mass index - their risk of obesity.

I don’t know if they didn’t monitor food intake levels, or what, but that’s impossible.  If food intake stays the same, and physical exertion increases, excess weight comes off.  It has to.