Posts Tagged ‘epidemic’

New research from the UK is suggesting that not only do children learn from their parents, they tend to learn from their parents of the same sex, at least when it comes to the issue of obesity.  After studying 226 families, researchers found that daughters of obese mothers were 10 times more likely to be obese, compared to daughters of normal-weight mothers. Sons were 6 times more likely to be obese if they have an obese father. Researchers attribute this finding to a phenomenon called “behavioral sympathy” where children will adopt the lifestyles of their same-sex parent. The obesity epidemic has innumerable causes, but the fight against it has to involve educating both parents and children. Healthy eating and living are learned behaviors, not a consequence of genetics.

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The CDC reported earlier this year that approximately 32% of US children were overweight, 16% were obese, and 11% were extremely obese. With concerns about weight on the minds of most Americans these days, many food companies have voluntarily began campaigns to combat the obesity epidemic by categorizing a certain amount of their products as “healthy alternatives.” But do these wellness initiatives truly have the consumer in mind? In a recent JAMA article pediatrician David Ludwig and Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University, argues that makers of popular junk foods ultimately have obligations to their stockholders to encourage children to consume more, not less. In an interview with U.S. News they outlined the top 10 things that the food industry doesn’t want you to know, including the following:

- Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations.

- Less-processed foods are generally more satiating than their highly processed counterparts.

- The food industry funds front groups that fight antiobesity public health initiatives.

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