Aspirin- Proceed With Caution

February 23rd, 2010

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Aspirin generally has the perception of a benign over the counter drug that can help with everything from headaches to joint pain. Some people take aspirin on a daily basis in the hopes of heading off heart disease or other maladies. But new studies, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, suggestion caution with frequent consumption.

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If you’re taking a daily aspirin for your heart, you may want to reconsider.

For years, many middle-aged people have taken the drug in hopes of reducing the chance of a heart attack or stroke. Americans bought more than 44 million packages of low-dose aspirin marketed for heart protection in the year ended September, up about 12% from 2005, according to research firm IMS Health.

Now, medical experts say some people who are taking aspirin on a regular basis should think about stopping. Public-health officials are scaling back official recommendations for the painkiller to target a narrower group of patients who are at risk of a heart attack or stroke. The concern is that aspirin’s side effects, which can include bleeding ulcers, might outweigh the potential benefits when taken by many healthy or older people.

“Not everybody needs to take aspirin,” says Sidney Smith, a professor at the University of North Carolina who is chairing a new National Institutes of Health effort to compile treatment recommendations on cardiovascular-disease prevention. Physicians are beginning to tailor aspirin recommendations to “groups where the benefits are especially well established,” he says.

Doctors generally agree that most patients who have already suffered a heart attack or ischemic stroke, the type caused by a clot or other obstruction blocking an artery to the brain, should take regular low-dose aspirin. But for people without heart disease, the newest guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force spell out much more clearly than before when aspirin should be administered.

The guidelines, announced last year, suggest aspirin for certain men 45 to 79 years old with elevated heart-disease risk because of factors like cholesterol levels and smoking. For women, the guidelines don’t focus on heart risk. Instead, the task force recommends certain women should take aspirin regularly if they are 55 to 79 and are in danger of having an ischemic stroke, for reasons that could include high blood pressure and diabetes.

The panel urged doctors to factor in conditions that could increase a patient’s risk of bleeding from aspirin, which tends to rise with age. The group didn’t designate a dose, but suggested that an appropriate amount might be 75 milligrams a day, which is close to the 81mg contained in low-dose, or “baby,” aspirin. The task force didn’t take a position on aspirin for people who are 80 and older because of a lack of data in this age group.

Aspirin Advice

Doctors have been scaling back their aspirin recommendations for people who don’t already have heart disease. Here are the current guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Aspirin recommended for:

• Some men 45 and older with risk factors for heart disease, assuming no history of ulcers or other bleeding dangers.
• Some women 55 and older with risk factors for stroke, and no history of bleeding danger.
Aspirin not recommended for:
• Men younger than 45, and women younger than 55.
• Anyone 80 and older.

Other medical researchers dispute the idea that there should be different guidelines for men and women.

Still, many experts agree that doctors may have been recommending aspirin to people for whom the risks might outweigh the benefits.

Aspirin acts as a blood thinner, which is believed to account for much of its benefit of protecting against heart attacks and strokes. But that same action, along with a tendency to deplete the stomach’s protective lining, can lead to a danger of gastrointestinal bleeding and possibly bleeding in the brain.

The task force issued its latest guidelines after reviewing the evidence from a number of studies on aspirin’s benefits and risks. The recommendations update the panel’s previous guidelines from 2002, which were more broadly written. Those suggested aspirin use for people of any age who were at elevated risk of heart disease.

“We would like doctors to re-look at their patients who are on aspirin and consider recommending stopping it where the chance of harm outweighs the benefit,” says Ned Calonge, a Colorado public-health official who serves as the task force’s chairman. He notes, however, that in studies of healthy people taking aspirin, the actual rates of bleeding and of prevented heart attacks were very low.

Not all patients accustomed to taking aspirin will want to stop. Maxine Fischer, 55 years old, recently figured out that under the new U.S. guidelines, she wouldn’t be encouraged to continue with the drug. Using an online calculator, which factored such data as her age, blood pressure and medical history, she learned she had just a 1% likelihood of a stroke in the next 10 years. Under the guidelines, only women in her age group with at least a 3% or higher stroke risk should take aspirin.

Ms. Fischer, who works as a manager for seniors’ lobby AARP in San Diego, has taken aspirin daily for two years after reading it could reduce the risk of stroke. For the moment, she says she’ll keep it up, partly because she’s more worried about strokes than ulcers. Strokes are “the big scary thing,” she says.

Other patients say they would stick with aspirin because of other benefits attributed to the drug; past research has suggested that regular aspirin may reduce the risk of colon cancer, for instance. Virginia Douglas, 64, a retired trade-association executive, takes aspirin a few times a week. In addition to the possibly reduced risk of stroke, Ms. Douglas hopes to avoid colon cancer, which affected her father and grandfather. “There’s always a new study with a new recommendation,” says Ms. Douglas, of Sacramento, Calif. “You have to do what’s best for you.”

In a separate analysis, published in medical journal Lancet last May, an international group of scientists reached a broadly similar conclusion as did the U.S. task force—that doctors may have been recommending aspirin too widely. “You really have to have a clear margin of benefit over hazard before you should be treating healthy people,” says Colin Baigent, a professor at Oxford University who coordinated the Lancet analysis.

What Aspirin Does

Aspirin’s effects in the body can have good and bad implications.
• Blood thinner: It inhibits clotting, which helps reduce the risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke but increases the danger of bleeding.
• Inflammation reducer: It lessens pain and fever by preventing production of the hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. But this can also deplete a protective layer in the stomach and increase the risk of ulcers.

What You Can Do

If you want to figure out if the newest guidelines recommend aspirin for you, here’s where to check:
• At ahrq.gov, type ‘aspirin and prevention’ into the search box, and the new guidelines will come up in the results. Click on ‘clinical summary’ for a table that explains what people of different ages should do, and includes links to online calculators to help you figure out your risk of heart attack or stroke. You should also speak to your doctor.
• An analysis published in the British journal the Lancet, which reached somewhat different conclusions.
• A letter from the task force responding to the Lancet authors’ findings.

Still, the Lancet authors disagreed with the U.S. panel on some important details, particularly about who should be taking aspirin. The two groups examined evidence largely from the same studies of the drug, although the international team analyzed the data differently. In the end, the international team of scientists, unlike the U.S. officials, concluded that aspirin’s effects on men and women were mostly the same.

Another disagreement between the two groups also emerged: The U.S. task force said that age is the biggest factor determining a person’s risk of internal bleeding from aspirin. But the international team said other factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, also play a significant role. Unfortunately, the scientists noted, the same factors that increase patients’ risk of bleeding also increase their risk of developing heart disease. This, in turn, can make it more difficult to calculate whether the benefits of aspirin would outweigh the risks of side effects.

The U.S. task force responded with a letter to the Lancet, defending its finding that men and women’s results did appear different. There is a “wealth of evidence that men and women have different cardiovascular disease manifestations and respond differently to aspirin,” the letter said. The panel also reiterated its position that bleeding risk is best parsed by age.

Amid the debate, some individual doctors are finding their own position. Rodney Hayward, who codirects a Veterans Affairs research center in Ann Arbor, Mich., says he’s not convinced that aspirin’s effects on men and women are so different. He says he continues to recommend aspirin for certain patients of both sexes with significant heart risk.

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The Ultimate Rant

February 22nd, 2010

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I grew up on the WWF; now called the WWE. I idolized Hulk Hogan, and used to anxiously await for “WWF Superstars” to come on Fox on Saturday mornings. I bought the action figures, the comic books, I even took the Hulk Hogan vitamins!

This past Saturday, I was searching around YouTube for a fitness video, and somehow stumbled upon old WWF clips. I came across a series of promos by The Ultimate Warrior.

For those of you who are not familiar, The Ultimate Warrior was one of the stars of the WWF. He beat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VI and was anointed as Hogan’s heir; the Superstar to carry the WWF into the next decade. For a number of reasons, that didn’t work out.

Watch the clip below and see if you can guess why.

Here’s to the WWF. A great pastime in American culture.

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The Lets Move Campaign

February 21st, 2010

Michelle Obama appeared on Fox New’s “Huckabee” show to discuss, among other things, her Lets Move obesity campaign. One of her key targets: dessert. The First Lady wants to eliminate desserts entirely; in 7 years.

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First lady Michelle Obama wants to bring quality staples to the “food deserts” of America, telling Fox News host Mike Huckabee that part of her “Let’s Move” campaign to reduce childhood obesity is to locate grocery stories that provide healthy food in underserved areas.

“There are places without access to grocery store. There were places we visited in Philadelphia they haven’t had a grocery store in a decade,” Michelle Obama said in an exclusive interview taped in Philadelphia for “Huckabee.”

“We have to eliminate food deserts. One of the goals of Let’s Move is eliminate food deserts in seven years. Ambitious goal, but I think we can do it if we work together.”

The first lady said 23.5 million Americans live in areas without easy access to foods like fruits and vegetables. She pointed to a $400 million healthy food financing initiative as a way not only to help kids eat healthy but develop “an economic engine” in poor communities.

“It’s really not about just what our kids eat but what their communities are like. You can’t live in a community that doesn’t have food in it. That’s the basic foundation,” she said.

Obama announced her new campaign against childhood obesity earlier this month. She said part of the reason that one-third of children today are obese is their lifestyle habits, including spending seven and a half hours per day perched in front of electronic entertainment.

She said she’s prohibited her kids from watching television on weekdays, and made other small changes in their lifestyle after their pediatrician warned that Sasha and Malia were on a bad trajectory because of their eating habits and other behaviors.

“I come here because I’m a mom. This is how I became aware of the issue in my own kids. Life changed for families in a way that I can see. You know, we’re busier. We’re less active. Our kids watch more TV.

Sometimes it’s hard to get outside. Drive-through fast food. It’s easier and cheaper. As a result, we’re seeing effects on our kids. And I saw it on mine. It was because of my pediatrician that just sort of waved a red flag,” she said.

Huckabee, a former Republican presidential candidate, told FoxNews.com that he and the first lady shared the same view of obesity. Formerly obese himself, during his 10 years as governor of Arkansas, Huckabee made it a goal to fight the increased weight problems of young people.

“Arkansas was the only state that reversed the trend of childhood obesity, the rate actually declined and we did a lot of things very aggressively to do that. It was a priority,” Huckabee said.

Obama said her approach is not a top-down government nanny state, but something that allows families to custom-fit solutions for themselves. That includes easier-to-read food labeling, self-designed diets informed by doctors and aggressive action by parents, coaches, communities and others.

“Most of our kids get the majority of the calories from the meals they eat in schools. We have an opportunity to work with the federal government and the school lunch providers to figure out how to make those meals healthier,” she said.

“People who make soft drinks, people who make food for school lunches, it’s community groups, it’s businesses who make decisions about where they’re going to locate grocery stores. It’s our media. It’s Disney, it’s Nick TV. It’s everyone that has an impact on the health and life of our children, our teachers. So it’s all of us,” Obama added.

“This is a solvable issue because it’s, you know, it’s community-based. I said this in my launch speech, this doesn’t require new technology, or, you know, new research. We have the solution in our hand. But it takes a coordinated effort.”

In a rare appearance on Fox News, Obama said she too doesn’t watch a lot of television news because “like when you work above the shop, you can’t just bring work home.”

“I want to formulate my opinions based on experiences that I have. I’ll read clips, you know, I
get headlines but I tend — I try to keep home kind of a news-free zone,” she said, adding when President Obama comes home, she doesn’t want to bombard him with questions.

“Let him have some dinner, play a little, play Sorry or some kind of game with the kids. And sort of bring it down.”

 
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How much water should you drink a day?

February 18th, 2010

Everyone knows water is essential to our health and well being. We can’t survive without it, but it’s often a neglected part of our diet.

So how much water should you be drinking a day? Our friends at the Mayo Clinic have the answer:

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How much water should you drink each day? A simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

Though no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body’s need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.

Health benefits of water

Water is your body’s principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

Several approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

• Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.

• Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the “8 x 8 rule” — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, “drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day,” as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn’t supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.

• Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
Even apart from the above approaches, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

Factors that influence water needs

You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.

• Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake. How much additional fluid you need depends on how much you sweat during exercise, the duration of your exercise and the type of activity you’re engaged in.

During long bouts of intense exercise, it’s best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening. Also, continue to replace fluids after you’re finished exercising.

• Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.

• Illnesses or health conditions. Signs of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose additional fluids. In these cases you should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or CeraLyte. Also, you may need increased fluid intake if you develop certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones. On the other hand, some conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.

• Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.1 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids a day.

Beyond the tap: Other sources of water

Although it’s a great idea to keep water within reach at all times, you don’t need to rely only on what you drink to satisfy your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake, while the remaining 80 percent comes from water and beverages of all kinds.

For example, many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and tomatoes, are 90 percent to 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice also are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is one of your best bets because it’s calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available.

Staying safely hydrated

It’s generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink. By the time you become thirsty, it’s possible to already be slightly dehydrated. Further, be aware that as you get older your body is less able to sense dehydration and send your brain signals of thirst. Excessive thirst and increased urination can be signs of a more serious medical condition. Talk to your doctor if you experience either.

To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. Nearly every healthy adult can consider the following:

• Drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal.
• Hydrate before, during and after exercise.
• Substitute sparkling water for alcoholic drinks at social gatherings.

If you drink water from a bottle, thoroughly clean or replace the bottle often.

Though uncommon, it is possible to drink too much water. When your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water, the electrolyte (mineral) content of the blood is diluted, resulting in low sodium levels in the blood, a condition called hyponatremia. Endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, who drink large amounts of water are at higher risk of hyponatremia. In general, though, drinking too much water is rare in healthy adults who consume an average American diet.

If you’re concerned about your fluid intake, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. He or she can help you determine the amount of water that’s best for you.

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A Fitness Journey- Ramping It Up

February 15th, 2010

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Everyone has been anxiously awaiting an update from Jorie.  She’s been working hard, refining her diet, and tearing up I-95 to train with one of the best in the business: personal trainer Sidney Wilson. Let’s see what she has going on.

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Whew! It certainly has been a packed two weeks!

I have been traveling non-stop it seems; I just returned from Columbus, Ohio. My grandmother’s cancer is rearing it’s ugly head again. To be honest, I skipped the gym this weekend, but I did throw on my shoes and run. And run. And run.

Maintaining my cardio and hitting the streets did amazing things for my mind. I am surprised at the amount of stress and worry I was able to let go of. I’m really glad I forced myself out the door in the amazing 15 degree weather. Seriously though, mother nature needs to stop with the snow.

I finally made it back to Annandale last night and I’m overly pumped to get back on schedule.

Last weekend (Feb 7th), I made it up to NYC to meet up with a great trainer, Sidney Wilson. Sidney just so happens to be one of the toughest trainers there is, was the rumor, and after training with him once, I completely concur.

Sid harps that my diet and discipline will be the most important factors in my success. I already have a well established problem of NOT eating enough, or forgetting meals altogether.

Walking into Sid’s place at 1500 he learned I had only snacked on cashews thus far. And the workout begins.

Twenty minutes into training, and 28 flights of stairs later, I embarrassingly lost my stomach. Sid says casually, “that’ll teach you not to eat.” We continue our workout.

Two hours later, I’m exhausted, and already making plans for the next weekend!

I had an amazing time; loved every minute of the challenge and the unique methodology Sidney utilizes in training. I hadn’t had my butt kicked that well since PT in the Marine Corps.

I hope to meet up with Sidney again this weekend now that Valentines day has passed. Due to the fact he is located in NYC, this makes my commute around four hours each way. His training pushes me, almost harder than I push myself, and that is worth battling I-95, and the tolls along the way. I hope to link up with the parents of a prior service buddy of mine that lives near Staten Island; hopefully they will allow me to crash there on the weekend to help with some of the driving.

Sid did make a comment about the length of time it may take me to cut the necessary body fat. I may have picked a competition date that is too soon for where I need to be. I have been looking at a few shows in early May in case I need the extra two-three weeks.

I am also concerned about posing. Beyond studying video from shows, such as the 09 Figure Olympia where Ms Gina Alotti placed second, and studying magazine snippets… I find myself with a severe lack of knowledge in this arena. I’m finding I’m pretty far behind with where I need to be.

I am in need of a coach, (stage coach?) or an individual whom can critique my non-existent ability to pose.

My re-aligned focus:

* Incorporating Sidney Wilson-NYC kicking my butt on the weekends into my regular routine during the week.

* Setting more timers and reminders to EAT! I’m still aiming around 1700 calories with about 50% of my intake being protein. This is about 200 g.

* Adding more cardio to my workouts. Aiming at 6 days a week of 20 Hi-Intensity and 25 minutes distance to increase fat loss.

* Adding more plyometric exercises into my routines. I love the fatigue and maintain my heart rate!

* Focus on posture, and maintaining posture throughout the day. Practicing posing as well.

I’ll be tweeting more day-to-day experiences, especially this weekend; I also tweet out many questions and the like if you’d like to follow along and be more active in my day-to-day;

My twitter — www.twitter.com/stupadgurl (yes, i know, Stupadgurl?!)

Fittron’s twitter — www.twitter.com/fittron

Looking forward to hearing some feedback!

Jorie Ann

A Fitness Journey- Meet Jorie

A Fitness Journey- Week 1

A Fitness Journey- Gina Aliotti Lends Her Thoughts

a Fitness Journey- Pictures

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The Water Bottle Workout

February 14th, 2010

Do you sometimes make excuses that you can’t workout because you don’t have access to a gym? Maybe you don’t even have dumbbells or bands? Out of luck?

Nope. You can do an intense workout with two bottles of water. Don’t believe us. Watch the video below.

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Winter Olympics 2010

February 12th, 2010

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The Winter Olympics begin today in Vancouver. The Olympics conjure thoughts of competition for the purest of reasons; athletes representing their countries in the grandest stage in their sport.

Watch the video below for some anticipation and celebration of the upcoming games in Vancouver.

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White House Launches “Let’s Move” Obesity Campaign

February 11th, 2010

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The first lady continued her efforts to combat childhood obesity by announcing the launch of the “Let’s Move” campaign. CNS news reports:

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At a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign to end childhood obesity in the United States, an epidemic she said is costly and a threat to national security.

“A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year,” Mrs. Obama said. “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”

The ceremony, attended by many officials of President Barack Obama’s cabinet, followed the signing earlier in the day of a presidential memorandum establishing a task force to study the problem and make recommendations after 90 days.

Obama announced a long list of goals she said she hopes the “Let’s Move” campaign will accomplish, including many that can be done “in a generation.”

“This isn’t like a disease where we’re still waiting for a cure to be discovered – we know the cure for this,” Obama said. “This isn’t like putting a man on the moon or inventing the Internet. It doesn’t take some stroke of genius or feat of technology.

“We have everything we need, right now, to help our kids lead healthy lives,” Obama said.

Some of the goals include ending what Obama referred to as “food deserts” with a $400 million a year “Healthy Food Financing Initiative,” which will bring grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods and “help places like convenience stores carry healthier food options.”

Obama called for overhauling many federal laws and guidelines, including adding $10 billion over the next decade to “update” the Childhood Nutrition Act, which feeds 31 million children at school and would add funding to feed more children.

The federal food pyramid would also get a makeover through the campaign, and there would be new efforts to get manufacturers to add “family friendly front-of-package labeling” that discloses a product’s nutritional value.

The First Lady said a broad coalition of groups interested in children’s health are coming together to form the Partnership for a Healthier America, which will use professional athletes, members of the media, and state and local dignitaries to promote the “Let’s Move” campaign and its goals around the country.

Obama used anecdotal details from her own life to explain the challenges faced by overworked parents and children who spend too much time watching TV or playing video games because their neighborhoods are unsafe for playing outside.

“So many parents desperately want to do the right thing, but they feel like the deck is stacked against them,” Obama said. “They know their kids’ health is their responsibility but they feel like it’s out of their control.”

The first family steps off Air Force One at the Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station in Bourne, Mass., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“They are bombarded by contradictory information at every turn, and they don’t know who to believe,” she said.

Obama said before she lived in the White House she struggled to balance the demands of working and being a mother, and occasionally fed her two daughters fast food or “less healthy microwavable options.”

“And one day,” she said, “my pediatrician pulled me aside and told me, ‘You might want to think about doing things a little bit differently.’”

She said it was a wake-up call and that the nation should see childhood obesity as a wake-up call, including the fact that children are victims of the epidemic.

“Our kids did not do this to themselves,” Obama said. “Our kids don’t decide what’s served to them at school or whether there’s time for gym classes or recess. Our kids don’t choose to make food products with tons of sugar and sodium in super-sized portions, and then to have those products marketed to them everywhere they turn.”

“And no matter how much they beg for pizza, fries and candy, ultimately, they are not, and should not, be the ones calling the shots at dinnertime,” she said.

A new Web site has also been launched in conjunction with the campaign, www.letsmove.gov.


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The First Lady Tackles Obesity

February 9th, 2010

The Wall Street journal ran an article today highlighting one of the causes that the First Lady, Michelle Obama, is pursuing: taking on obesity among the nation’s youth. A noble and just cause, the First Lady is bringing some much need attention to a growing national problem.

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WASHINGTON—First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday plans to unveil a campaign to fight childhood obesity, a cause that is becoming her top policy priority.

Her campaign is part of a government effort to reframe the debate about the nation’s expanding waistlines. Top health officials, including Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, say they want to shift the conversation away from achieving a particular weight or dress size and instead emphasize the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity.

In an event at the White House scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Obama plans to outline an effort months in the making to improve childhood nutrition and physical activity. The White House in recent days has contacted some of the nation’s largest food companies to prepare them for its push.

The U.S. obesity rate grew rapidly through the 1980s and 1990s, but figures released last month show the increase has slowed. About two-thirds of Americans are counted as either overweight or obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Officials say that despite years of new regulations, the government still lacks an effective strategy to tackle the issue. One problem is that messages about avoiding unhealthy food tend to turn off Americans.

“As America’s family doctor, I want to change the national conversation from a negative one about obesity and illness to a positive conversation about being healthy and being fit,” Dr. Benjamin says in a message posted on her Web site. That means Americans should eat nutritious foods, exercise regularly “and have fun doing it,” she says.

Ms. Obama’s plan has four planks, according to people briefed on it. She wants to improve nutrition and physical education in schools; promote activity such as walking and biking in community planning; make healthy food more available, particularly in poor areas; and make nutrition information on food packages clearer.

About one-third of American adults are considered obese, while about two-thirds are counted as either overweight or obese

Some local governments and food companies themselves have in recent years taken steps intended to fight obesity. They have curbed marketing to children, sought to remove trans fats from foods, and some cities and states have required restaurants to post the calorie and fat content of their offerings.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also is considering restricting the sale of certain sugary drinks and salty snacks in school vending machines, amplifying restrictions already in place throughout many schools nationwide.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa), said Monday he had spent at least 15 years trying to impose tighter regulations to prevent childhood obesity and had seen many of his efforts fail, including a 1996 push to remove vending machines from schools and a move two years ago to ban soft drinks from schools.

But he held out hope that the popular first lady would fare better. “When she does these kinds of things, it gets a lot more attention than if I do it,” Sen. Harkin said.
Republicans have expressed concern that efforts to combat obesity could impede on personal freedom.

“You don’t want the federal government to overstep its bounds,” said Rep. Mary Bono (R., Calif.). “I don’t believe that we should become the nanny state and start restricting dietary choices.”

In one example of ways policy makers are seeking to shift the debate to focus on being healthy at any size, Ms. Bono is working on a bill with Rep. Ron Kind (D., Wis.) that would, among other things, call for government health programs to pay more attention to body mass index, a measure comparing height and weight used as a rough guide to determining who is overweight.

Restaurant chains, packaged-food companies and supermarkets in recent years have sought to show they are serious about combating obesity as a wave of lawsuits alleged they were helping to make people fat. Kraft Foods Inc. stopped marketing certain products to children under 12 years old; chains such as McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc. added items like apples and carrot sticks.
Some of the efforts have drawn criticism; several food manufacturers stopped placing “Smart Choices” labels on products last year after the Food and Drug Administration said the labels could mislead consumers about the foods’ health benefits.

Food makers said they would be part of the first lady’s effort.

The White House on Friday held a conference call with restaurant chains including Doctor’s Associates Inc.’s Subway sandwich chain and Yum Brands Inc., parent of KFC and Taco Bell, and asked for feedback, according to companies on the call.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents packaged-food makers and some retailers, said its members have reformulated 10,000 products in recent years to reduce levels of calories, fat and sodium.

“Childhood obesity is a serious health crisis that can’t be solved without strong leadership from the White House,” said Scott Faber, the group’s vice president for federal affairs.


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3 Simple Steps to Combat Childhood Obesity

February 8th, 2010

cause-of-childhood-obesity

Childhood obesity is an emerging topic in our national conversation, with the First Lady even weighing in recently. Americans are recognizing that a health crisis quickly approaching epidemic levels is sweeping across the nation. With schools cutting gym classes, kids living increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and the ubiquitous presence of unhealthy foods and drinks our nations youth are at risk.

TIME magazine ran an article on three simple things families can do to combat childhood obesity. Read on and see if you agree.

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To curb the childhood-obesity epidemic, health experts have long urged parents to make healthy changes to their family’s lifestyle — such as eating nutritiously, reducing TV time, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.

Individually, these behaviors have been linked to a lower risk of obesity in kids, but researchers at Ohio State University were interested in learning whether their effect might be cumulative — that is, whether families who adopted not just one but two or more of these behaviors could reduce their children’s risk of obesity even further.

Led by epidemiologist Sarah Anderson, researchers analyzed data on 8,550 4-year-olds in a national study and found that, indeed, children who practiced two healthy lifestyle behaviors were slimmer than those who adopted only one behavior, while youngsters who implemented three beneficial habits were the least likely to be overweight. “The more of these routines the children had, the lower was their risk of obesity,” Anderson says. “If children had all three routines, their risk of obesity was 40% lower than children who had none of the routines.”

The three behaviors Anderson studied were eating dinner regularly with the family, limiting the amount of time spent in front of the TV, and getting enough sleep. The children who were least likely to be obese ate dinner with their families six or seven times a week, slept for at least 10.5 hours each night and watched less than two hours of television per day.

The protective effect of these routines remained strong even after Anderson accounted for other factors that can contribute to childhood obesity, such as the mother’s obesity and low family income. The findings suggest that adopting these routines can be a powerful way for families to encourage healthy weight in their children regardless of socioeconomic background, she says.\

In addition, says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children’s Hospital Boston, the routines are relatively easy for most families to adopt. “This is a beautifully simple study. It makes a very important point, and one that needs to be re-emphasized time and again. These are all behaviors that are within the reach of us all.”

The data Anderson used came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort, a government-sponsored study of a cross section of children born in the U.S. in 2005. The children were enrolled in the study at birth; their parents answered questions about the children’s daily routines — including how much television they watched, when they went to bed each night and when they woke up each morning — at 9 months, 2 years and 4 years.

Anderson focused her attention on the 4-year-olds and found that families who had layered on the routines tended to have the slimmest kids. “We know that it’s going to be more difficult for some families than for others to adopt these routines,” she says. “But we can feel comfortable recommending them and encouraging parents to consider them, because not only do they offer protection against obesity, they are also likely to have other positive benefits in terms of children’s social, emotional and cognitive development.”

Obesity experts stress that the key is to start somewhere, and these routines are as good a place as any. “We don’t have to be running marathons every day,” says Ludwig. “Even moderate improvements in these three key behaviors can translate into a marked effect on body weight.” And when it comes to controlling weight, especially in youngsters, every pound counts.


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