Children of Overweight Moms More Likely to Be Obese

The Washington Post ^ | January 26, 2005 | From News Services

[neverdem]

FINDINGS

Children of overweight mothers are 15 times as likely to be obese by age 6 as children of lean mothers, researchers said yesterday.

The children start piling on pounds at age 3, a team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found. "We found dramatic increases in body fat between ages 3 and 6," said Robert I. Berkowitz, who led the study. "We should be doing prevention and treatment programs at a much earlier age."

--snip--

Blood Thinner Promising For Heart-Attack Survival

A large new study found that a blood-thinning drug available in Europe and Asia improves the chances of surviving a heart attack, while a simple, sugar-based solution that once looked promising does not help.

The mixed results involve two low-tech treatments that researchers hoped could help ease the global burden of heart attacks, which kill more than 7 million people worldwide each year -- at least half of them in developing countries. The research was conducted on more than 20,000 people in India, China and Latin America.

--snip--

The study is in the current Journal of the American Medical Association.

Exposure to Sibling Found to Boost Immunity

Exposure to a younger sibling's infections during the first six years of life helps the elder child's immune system develop and cuts the risk of multiple sclerosis later on, Australian researchers reported.

The researchers looked at the life histories of 136 adults with multiple sclerosis and compared them with those of 272 who did not have the disease.

Those who as children had up to five years of contact with a younger sibling had an 88 percent lower risk of multiple sclerosis. Those with one to three years of exposure had a 43 percent reduced risk.

--snip--

This article is also in JAMA.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

Like they say, nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven. Food=love

I'm not overweight, but I do have a tendency to want to feed people. I love to cook and I always want to make sure that people have enough to eat. I have a tendency to go overboard at times.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Fat people have always urged me to eat, even those who aren't my relatives.

I have a good friend who became obese when she married, and her daughter also became obese after she married. My friend is worried because their grandaughter is a finicky eater. They all try very hard to get her to eat.

I, on the other hand, have daughters in their 20's who are thin. They watch what they eat, and I don't push food on them.

[freemama]

Yes. I look at my class picture from Kindergarten and I was about twice the size of the other children. I have never been a normal weight that I can remember.

[freemama]

Calories in vs. calories out is the science of it.

Why obese people over eat is the psychology of it.

Obese people most often can't get over the psychology of it to be able to apply the science.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

When the weather gets warmer, try walking outside as quickly as you can for a half an hour everyday and include walking up a steep hill. It's great exercise, and it will motivate you. I'll be doing the same thing.

I recently joined Curves, and I really like it. You can go at any time of the day.

[Kurt_D]

Overeating, overdrinking, oversmoking.... I see it as a matter of will of power and self-discipline. In any case, people can always have a huge bowl of romain lettuce with vegetables and tuna or lean chicken with a fat-free dressing instead of Big Mac with fries. People don't end up obese when their extensive diet is based on vegetables and lean meat.

[freemama]

My husband is a vegan. I have tried to adopt that lifestyle, but there are cravings and psycological problems that get in the way. I can go days with just fruit and veggies, beans and nuts, but then I crave bread and baked goods, chocolate and chicken. My husband doesn't have these cravings. We are differently wired in this respect. I think that many of us who are obese have the same difficulty. It goes beyond will power and discipline.

[Kurt_D]

Jet, that's the mere definition of discipline and will of power. To be above your cravings. For instance, I used to drink lots of pops on a daily basis. Know I only drink water and occasionally I indulge myself with a light beer. Nevertheless, I don't buy the story about being unable to lead a rigid diet. It's tough, yes. But it ain't impossible.