Posted on 04/13/2008 9:31:39 AM PDT by billorites
DOZENS of children as young as six and seven have become so obese that doctors are being forced to put them on ventilators at night to keep them breathing while they sleep.
The children, whose breathing difficulties are blamed on overeating rather than any medical conditions, have been judged by the National Health Service to be morbidly obese - weighing as much as four times the normal weight for their age.
The excessive weight bearing down on the chest, together with deposits of fat around the throat and neck, mean the children need ventilators to help them to breathe while they sleep.
Doctors have revealed that the problem, previously witnessed only in obese adults or children with medical problems, is spreading to children of primary school age as the latest consequence of the childhood obesity epidemic.
Many of the children will need to sleep attached to a breathing machine every night for the rest of their lives and doctors warn that they are at “huge risk” of dying because they cannot get enough oxygen.
Those affected include Regan Taylor, 7, from Conisbrough near Doncaster, who weighs 11 stone and is so obese that he has to wear adults’ clothes. He has had to sleep attached to a breathing machine ever since he was admitted to hospital for resuscitation four years ago.
One consultant warned that some children aged just six or seven may need to be considered for stomach-stapling surgery, usually restricted to adults, to reduce their weight and allow them to breathe properly.
Dr Jerry Wales, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Sheffield children’s hospital, said: “We have some children who are on nocturnal ventilation while prepubertal, and their life span is going to be limited because of that. This is happening in mid-childhood.
“You could make the argument that the only treatment that has any possibility of saving their lives is [stomach] surgery.
“Noninvasive nocturnal ventilation is a common treatment in adults and is getting more common in children. There is some fat round the airway narrowing it. The chest is also heavy and more difficult to move [when breathing].”
The children are suffering from a form of sleep apnoea caused by their obesity. Paediatric respiratory physicians previously diagnosed sleep apnoea in children with conditions such as enlarged tonsils but say that an increasing percentage of their patients now have the condition because they are morbidly obese.
Dr Rob Primhak, a paediatric respiratory physician at Sheffield children’s hospital, said colleagues in America had told him that obesity was the cause of the sleep apnoea in up to 50 per cent of their patients. Primhak said he was seeing an emergence of the same trend.
Respiratory physicians in London also say that an increasing percentage of their patients have obesity-related breathing difficulties.
“I saw the first case five years ago but we are much more aware of it now,” Primhak said.
“We have had three or four children whom we have had to treat for obesity-induced sleep apnoea.
“So far none of the obese patients I have treated for this have got better.”
Regan, who is one of Primhak’s patients, uses a device called a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine, which holds the airways open. Some children need more powerful noninvasive ventilators.
Regan’s mother, Paula Taylor, is considering putting locks on her cupboards to prevent her son eating all the time. She also has to shop for groceries on a daily basis to reduce the quantity of food available at any one time.
Taylor, a support worker for the elderly, says she has tried hard to curtail her son’s overeating but believes he has a genetic condition that stops him being able to control his appetite. Tests carried out on Regan have, as yet, failed to identify a known genetic condition, but doctors say that he could suffer from an as yet unknown defect.
“I worry about Regan’s weight. I cut down my hours at work so that I could be at home more to keep an eye on him,” Taylor said.
“The doctors have said Regan will always need the ventilator until they control his weight. If his weight comes down he will no longer need it. They tried him on slimming tablets but they didn’t seem to do anything.
“They are now going to put him on tablets to suppress his appetite. As a last resort they will consider surgery.”
Patient groups say the increase in children needing ventilators is evidence that the obesity epidemic has got out of control.
Tam Fry, chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, said: “We are seeing this now because we have failed to monitor the growth of our children and these children are being allowed to become morbidly obese. This kind of case confirms we have a horrendous obesity problem that we have not yet faced up to.”
There are about 1m obese children in Britain, according to the British Medical Association. Estimates indicate that, if current trends continue, at least one fifth of boys and one third of girls will be obese by 2020.
Yes, consumed fat is used as an energy source when not combined with sugars. Bread, a simple carbohydrate would be converted to sugars and store by the body. Not all calories are equal when it comes to fat storage, which leads to obesity. 50 grams of fat (avacado type monounsaturated) would not cause an insulin response like 50 grams of carbs (like white bread).
How does that work exactly? The key purpose of insulin is to aid in breaking down carbs by driving it into the cells so it can be metabolized. The insulin response of a high glucose diet is to drive the sugar into the cells. Are you saying that it drives it into fat instead?
Many things can cause your insulin to spike. If what you're saying is true, then people who consume a great deal of caffeine should be getting obese and suffering from diabetes too. Since caffeine causes insulin to spike, which chases blood glucose into the cells, then people who drink a lot of caffeine should be suffering the same effects as those who consume large amounts of carbs. What evidence do you have that people who drink a lot of coffee or tea are also becoming obese and suffering disproportionately from diabetes?
You may have misjudged those people at Walmart. You really don’t know if they went to a grocery store earlier and bought fresh meat, vegetables and fruit.
The "side effects" of high fructose corn syrup are no different -- for the sake of this debate -- than those of sucrose. As a matter of fact, consumption of high fructose corn syrup has replaced sucrose on a nearly one-for-one basis over the past 30 years. Where there was once (or would be) sucrose there is now high fructose corn syrup. The glycemic index of high fructose corn syrup is the same as sucrose and their chemical compositions are almost identical.
Aspartame is comprised of three components (phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol) that are found in abundance in foods you eat every day. How they can be bad for you when bound together as aspartame, but not in their natural state, is a mystery that the junk scientists can never manage to explain.
The “fatties” as you called them are Endomorphs. They will gain weight on a high Carbohydrate diet.
Average apple: 21 grams of net carbohydrates. Full of natural fruit sugar. For an Endomorph, OK as an occasional treat.
Average orange: 12.9g
Bananna: 21.2g net carbohyrates per 1/4 cup
Apricot: 3.1g “ “
Canteloupe: 3.0g “ “
Cherries: 4.2g “ “
Grape: 6.7g “ “
Honeydew 3.6g “ “
Kiwi: 6.5g “ “
Peach: 8.9g “ “
Pear: 21.1g “ “
Pineapple: 4.3g “ “
Suggesting that endomorphs eat high-sugar, high carb foods in order to lose weight makes no sense.
When you have an insulin response your body is being told to store the excess sugars as a form of energy for later. This process of storage combined with no exercise to burn off the “stored energy” is why people become fat. By eliminating the IR you prevent your body from “storing” the fats and sugars you just consumed. Combining fat and sugar is the worst of all scenarios because the body will store what it cannot use for energy (what it cannot store it “ejects” as waste).
Fat is a superior form of stored energy for the body and the body will use it when no other form of energy is available (sugar). Consuming fat alone will not cause a insulin spike therefore the body will use the available consumed fat for energy and when it’s done it will move on to stored fat. This is putting your body in a “fat” burner mode rather than a “sugar” burner mode.
Training your body to burn fat for energy rather than sugar will improve energy levels and improve concentration levels.
Drinking black coffee will not cause an insulin spike unless you put sugar into it. You can add heavy whipping cream (no sugar/pure fat) to add flavor and you will still not see a spike. The caffeine will dehydrate you but the anti-oxidant effects of the coffee is well worth the increased need for water.
Huh? You mean if I eat fat and carbs at the same time the fat won't be used as a source for energy? What do you think happens to the fat?
Not all calories are equal when it comes to fat storage, which leads to obesity.
A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. When you consume a carbohydrate, for example, what's needed for immediate energy is taken and the rest if converted to glycogen which is stored in the liver and muscles. If the glycogen reserves are full it's converted to depot fat.
50 grams of fat (avacado type monounsaturated) would not cause an insulin response like 50 grams of carbs (like white bread).
You've lost me again. How does an insulin response (and here again, how are you defining "insulin response"?) lead to the creation of fat? If this were true you should be able to show us that people who consume large amounts of caffeine are also suffering disproportionately from obesity and diabetes. Can you?
First, you need to differentiate between Endomorphs and Ectomorphs. Which group are you talking about?
I agree with you,
When I went over to Paris on vacation I was shocked at how thin they were despite how much they ate.
I spent two weeks there and had bread, butter, wine, cheese, chicken, veggies and rich desserts.
When I got home and got on the scale I was shocked to see I didn’t gain an ounce.
My conclusion was that yes they ate carbs, protien and fat, but the food was all real and un-processed. They also walk a lot (just like I had to) to get to the Metro to walk to the shops, etc.
I think one of the reasons why we have a problem here w/ obesity is because of the high processed diets we eat as well as a secondary life style. I still shake my head when I go to the mall and grocery stores and watch people fight for the closest parking spot to the store. I purposely park a little further back to get some exercise.
Complex carbs (broccoli etc) in limited quantity (less than 30gr) will not cause a insulin response. The fat you consume with those carbs will be used as energy, not stored (no excess “energy available”).
You can deplete your glycogen stores over time by avoiding insulin responses. Depleting the store is the key to using fat as an energy source. Muscle glycogen does need to be replenished from time to time which is why occasional “carb loading” is a necessity.
The average American diet is loaded with simple carbs and fat. Combined with soda pop or even juices (pure sugar little fibre) the body is told to store fat constantly because it’s getting plenty of “energy” in the form of sugar.
Can only speak from personal experience here—I have hypothyroidism and have trouble losing weight—I can maintain weight until the cows come home though! I also used to have horrible migraine headaches every DAY for most of my life (I’m 46)-—but when I cut out HFCS and aspartame at the advice of my nutritionist—WHAMMO. Started being able to drop some of weight I gained from fertility treatment over the years AND the headaches are GONE. My husband also started losing weight and had less allergy problems, as did my daughter.
What is your source for carbs? I gave mine, and here is the fruits page:
http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fruit-fresh-dried-frozen_c-Y2lkPTk4JnBhcj0.html
Apricot, for instance, has 3.9 grams total carbs.
Apple, small, approximately 1/4 pound has 6total carbs of 14.6
So, tell me, are “endomorphs” those “big-boned” people? Ectos and mesos are just lucky? Are all endos destined to weigh 400 + pounds, and eat only simple carbs, highly refined foods, and misjudge portion sizes?
Fruits on your list (other than apples, oranges and bananas) from whatever your site is, I notice have far fewer carbs. All still have plenty of fiber. Do they cause weight gain in the endos? Can they only have one as an occasional treat? What about the dearth of fresh vegetables in those WalMart carts? What about the total lack of any vegetables at all, fresh, frozen, canned, whatever?
Please. I suggest eating properly AND exercise. If a fattie has bad knees, what about laying flat on their backs, or sitting in a recliner, doing leg lifts, using weights (like a book, or a paperweight) to exercise the arm muscles? When I had an exercise consult for my rheumatoid arthritis, many reps with less weight were recommended. Also swimming. Also exercising on my back on the floor—leg lifts, sit ups, etc. There is ALWAYS a way to move absent paralysis or a totally destroyed joint.
And eating less never hurts, either. You act like a 1300 calorie diet is death to an endo. Those calories can come from highly refined carbs, and HFCS, or healthy foods. A large fresh salad, even with dressing, is much healthier than what those WalMart fatties were buying.
No. Your body uses insulin to metabolize carbs. That's what's happening. The glucose needed for immediate energy is taken and the rest is converted to glycogen or fat for later use.
This process of storage combined with no exercise to burn off the “stored energy” is why people become fat.
People can be exercising and still become fat if they consume more calories than they burn. It doesn't matter where the calories come from. Eat more calories than you burn and you will get fat(ter).
By eliminating the IR you prevent your body from “storing” the fats and sugars you just consumed.
So if I go on a fat only diet and consume more calories than I burn, I won't get fat? Because I didn't eat any carbs and "spike" my insulin levels? You don't understand how fat is metabolized.
Combining fat and sugar is the worst of all scenarios because the body will store what it cannot use for energy (what it cannot store it “ejects” as waste).
My body will eject as waste any excess fat and carbs as long as I eat them together? Maybe I'm not following you because your "ejecting what it cannot store" argument doesn't make any sense to me. Your body is going to store what it doesn't need for immediate energy whether the calories come from carbs or fat.
Fat is a superior form of stored energy for the body and the body will use it when no other form of energy is available (sugar).
Your body will create depot fat if you eat too many calories from carbs or from fat. Since fat offers more than twice the amount of calories per gram you get more energy from fat. Of course, if you eat a high fat diet you can also get fatter faster than from a high carb diet.
Consuming fat alone will not cause a insulin spike therefore the body will use the available consumed fat for energy and when it’s done it will move on to stored fat.
I don't know why you're fixated on this insulin spike. If you consume only fat your body will metabolize that fat for energy by converting it into two carbon fragments that feed into the Krebs cycle. However, if your body doesn't need the energy, these two carbon fragments will, through another pathway, be converted into glycogen or depot fat.
Just because you're consuming fat doesn't mean you won't become fat or suffer from diabetes. People who consume a high fat diet will experience these two carbon fragments getting into their lungs (from their blood) where they convert to acetone thereby giving them the same kind of bad breath diabetics suffer from. The chances of becoming obese and a diabetic are much better under a high fat diet. For the vast majority of people it's all about calories in vs. calories out.
Drinking black coffee will not cause an insulin spike unless you put sugar into it.
Sorry, you're wrong on this one too. Caffeine enhances insulin from the pancreas. It is a fact that if you consume caffeine you will trigger an insulin spike. That's why you get a lift from caffeine because it increases your metabolic rate from the sugar going into the cells creating heat and energy. This is the problem with your argument. For you to be right you have to be able to show us that people who consume large amounts of caffeine are suffering disproportionately from obesity and diabetes. It's not happening.
You can add heavy whipping cream (no sugar/pure fat) to add flavor and you will still not see a spike.
The only way you won't get an insulin spike from coffee is if the coffee is decaffeinated. There's no way around this one I'm afraid.
First, you need to differentiate between Endomorphs and Ectomorphs. Which group are you talking about?
Why would we need to differentiate between anything other than healthy bodies and unhealthy ones? Insulin aids in metabolizing carbohydrates. Spiking insulin levels do not make people fat. Eating more calories (from carbs, fat or protein) than you burn is what creates fat.
Ok. So what? There is always some insulin in your system. If you have a low level of blood glucose there will be no insulin spike. A spike is a peak on top of a base level. Insulin is always there.
You can deplete your glycogen stores over time by avoiding insulin responses.
Ok. You have to eat something sometime though and when you do, those glycogen stores will be replenished. And, once those stores are full, the remainder will be converted to depot fat.
Depleting the store is the key to using fat as an energy source. Muscle glycogen does need to be replenished from time to time which is why occasional “carb loading” is a necessity.
If you deplete your glycogen reserves your body will replenish it with fat or protein if you aren't eating any carbs. You do not need to engage in carb loading to replenish your glycogen reserves.
The average American diet is loaded with simple carbs and fat. Combined with soda pop or even juices (pure sugar little fibre) the body is told to store fat constantly because it’s getting plenty of “energy” in the form of sugar.
Too many Americans, unfortunately, consume more calories (mostly from carbs) than they burn. That's why we're becoming such a nation of fatties. This particular issue has nothing to do with insulin spikes and everything to do with the overconsumption of calories. You've become caught up in a calorie distraction that's led you to believe that this issue is much more complicated than it is. It isn't.
Thanks for your posts. You explain things much better than I did.
‘’Hänsel und Gretel’’ Alert
You appear to be confused. You complained that you did not see these things in the ‘fatties’ shopping cart:
“NOT ONE fresh fruit...an orange or apple, no grapes, not a one...No frozen fruits...Not even the pre-cheesed frozen broccoli...no flour...not even biscuits that you have to bake.”
That is from your own list. Those particular items include foods that are high in sugar (fruits), high in carbs (flour, biscuits you have to bake, pre-cheesed frozen broccoli).
Again, what sense does it make for you to suggest that an Endomorph (based on your description) eat the very foods that will make them fatter, when you complain that they are fat? You make no sense.
Also, you say you gave a list of carb values of fruits, but you only gave calories....and not carbs. Again, you make no sense.
Are you saying that all humans are of the same body type?
There's no difference between a typical NBA basketball player's body type and a NFL linebacker's body type?
Are you willing to say that they could easily trade places, body-wise, just by switching diets? The linebacker will become tall and lean, while the basketball player will beef up to the size of a refridgerator, because there's no difference to them?
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