childhood obesity Archives - Amazing Health Advances

1/3 Children Worldwide Forecast to be Obese or Overweight by 2050

The AHA! Team — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 05:39:15 +0000

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute via EurekAlert! – Obesity rates are set to skyrocket, with one in six children and adolescents worldwide forecast to be obese by 2050, according to a new study. But with significant increases predicted within the next five years, the researchers stress urgent action now could turn the tide on the public health crisis. The research, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in The Lancet, found a third of children and adolescents will be overweight (385 million) or obese (360 million) within the next 25 years. The forecast equates to 356 million children aged 5–14 years and 390 million aged 15–24 years with one in six facing obesity. The global obesity rate for those between 5-24 years old tripled from 1990 to 2021, rising by 244 per cent to 174 million, suggesting that current approaches to curbing increases in obesity have failed a generation of young people. As of 2021, 493 million children and adolescents were overweight or obese. MCRI Dr Jessica Kerr said if immediate five-year action plans were not developed, the future was bleak for our youth. “Children and adolescents remain a vulnerable population within the obesity epidemic,” she said. Prevention is key as obesity rarely resolves after adolescence. “This giant burden will not only cost the health system and the economy billions, but complications associated with a high Body Mass Index (BMI), including diabetes, cancer, heart problems, breathing issues, fertility problems and mental health challenge, will negatively impact our children and adolescents now and into the future, even holding the potential to impact our grandchildren’s risk of obesity and quality of life for decades to come. “Despite these findings indicating monumental societal failures and a lack of coordinated global action across the entire developmental window to reduce obesity, our results provide optimism that this trajectory can be avoided if action comes before 2030.” The analysis, released on World Obesity Day, used the 2021 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to estimate the latest overweight and obesity levels and forecasts in 204 countries and territories. The United Arab Emirates, Cook Islands, Nauru and Tonga are forecast to have the highest prevalence while China, Egypt, India and the US will have the greatest number of children and adolescents with obesity by 2050. In Australia, children and adolescents have experienced some of the fastest transitions to obesity in the world. Girls are already more likely to be obese than overweight. Overall, by 2050 for those aged 5-24 years, 2.2 million are forecasted to be obese and 1.6 million overweight. Globally, there will be more boys, 5–14 years, with obesity than being overweight by 2050. “Without urgent policy reform, the transition to obesity will be particularly rapid in north Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and in the Caribbean, where the rise is concurrent with high population numbers and limited resources,” Dr Kerr said. “Many regions have historically had to focus on preventing undernutrition and stunting in children. To prevent a public health emergency from this newer threat, an immediate imperative should be creating national surveillance surveys of obesity in children and adolescents in every country.” Dr Kerr said older adolescent girls, aged 15-24 years entering their reproductive years, were a priority population for intervention. “Adolescent girls who are obese are a main focus if we are to avoid intergenerational transmission of obesity, chronic conditions and the dire financial and societal costs across future generations,” she said. “With this age group increasingly being out of school and cared for by adult services, we need to focus interventions at the community and commercial level.” MCRI Professor Susan Sawyer said governments needed to invest in multicomponent strategies that reduce obesity drivers, across food and drink, activity, lifestyle and the built environment. “While people and families can work to balance their physical activity, diet and sleep, everything in our environments works to counteract these efforts,” she said. “Given this huge global shift in children’s and adolescents’ weight, we can no longer keep blaming people for their choices. We require governments to step up by addressing regulatory interventions including taxing sugar sweetened beverages, banning junk food advertising aimed at children and young people and funding healthy meals in primary and secondary schools. We also need to consider the benefits of wider policies such as overhauling urban planning to encourage active lifestyles.” Publication: ‘Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990-2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021,’ The Lancet. *The content of this communication is the sole responsibility of MCRI and does not reflect the views of the NHMRC. Available for interview: Dr Jessica Kerr, MCRI Adolescent Health researcher Professor Susan Sawyer, MCRI, Group Leader, Adolescent Health Professor Peter Azzopardi, MCRI, Group Leader, Global Adolescent Health Journal The Lancet DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00397-6 To read the original article click here.

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Weight Loss NEWS: Reduce Your Risk of COVID Complications, Improve Digestion and Avoid Premature Death

AHA Publisher — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:00:55 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – Excessive weight gain among children and adults is a growing concern worldwide, especially in light of a reported correlation between severe COVID-19 cases and obesity. Now, the results of a brand new study from the European Society of Endocrinology suggest that probiotics could be a valuable part of the puzzle when figuring out how to effectively lose weight. What are probiotics? According to Cleveland Clinic, probiotics are live microorganisms, including bacteria and yeast, that help your body (and especially your digestive tract) stay healthy – and it turns out they could also help people lose weight. NEW Study: How Probiotic Supplementation Can Yield BETTER Weight Loss Results In early September 2020, a team of Italian researchers released the results of their investigation into the effects of probiotic supplementation on treating childhood obesity. The researchers specifically wanted to find out whether supplementing a calorie-restricted Mediterranean-style diet with a class of probiotics called Bifidobacteria would yield better improvements in health compared to diet alone. Bifidobacteria are known for preventing infection from other “bad” bacteria, helping to break down carbohydrates in the gut, supporting healthy digestion, and influencing food intake and energy expenditure. After separating 100 obese and insulin-resistant children into an experimental group or control group for 8 weeks, the researchers found that both groups saw improvements in body mass index, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and waist circumference (as well as fewer harmful E. coli bacteria in the gut). But the children who followed the diet AND took probiotics had greater weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and reductions in E. coli compared to the children who followed the diet but were given a placebo. The beneficial effects of these probiotics lasted for weeks after the children stopped taking them, as well. More long-term studies are needed to clarify probiotic supplementation safety and effectiveness, but the results certainly offer some important insights for parents. Of course, one can easily imagine what the results would be for adults, as well. Hopefully, this kind of research will expand to include how taking probiotics can help adults to lose weight. Probiotics Can Help, But Don’t Skimp on the Basics … These 4 Things Can Help You Lose Weight and Keep it Off Depending on your or your loved one’s health goals, taking high-quality probiotic supplements can be an excellent way to enhance their healthy lifestyle. Emphasis on enhance – not replace. In other words, if you choose to take advantage of the health-promoting effects of probiotics, just don’t forget to skip out on the other things you can be doing every day that will help you lose weight and improve your well-being overall. A few simple reminders, that should not be overlooked include: Stay physically active, especially through regular aerobic and strength training exercises. Commit to getting an adequate amount of sleep consistently. People who don’t get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep may be more likely to overeat and struggle to lose weight, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Make a balanced (organic) diet and sound food choices the rule, not the exception. The body needs the right amount of calories, micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) and macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) to support ideal weight and physical activity. Look for colorful fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates while minimizing or eliminating processed foods and alcohol. Monitor your weight. You don’t have to step on the scale every day. But checking your weight periodically can give you the feedback you need. After all, the numbers don’t lie. As for probiotic foods, try adding these items to your next shopping list: Fermented foods like, kimchi and sauerkraut Kombucha Miso soup Water, coconut and dairy-based kefir Natto Kvass Tempeh Lastly, foods like onion, banana, garlic, and leek naturally feed Bifidobacteria already in your gut, so stock up on those healthy foods, too. Sources for this article: ScienceDaily.com, CNNphillippines.com, NIH.gov, Clevelandclinic.org To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Clinical Trial: Vitamin D Supplementation Linked to Potential Improvements in Blood Pressure in Children

AHA Publisher — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 08:00:01 +0000

Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh via Newswise – Overweight and obese vitamin D-deficient children who took a relatively high dose of vitamin D every day for six months had lower blood pressure and improved insulin sensitivity than their peers who took a lower dose, according to the results of a UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh clinical trial reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Newswise — PITTSBURGH, Jan. 21, 2020 – However, the study did not show improvements in other markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, a finding that indicates vitamin D supplementation alone may not be the cure-all for improving the heart health of children at highest risk for diabetes and heart disease. “Current recommendations for taking vitamin D are pegged to optimal bone health,” said lead author Kumaravel Rajakumar, M.D., M.S., professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “But we know vitamin D is involved in more than building healthy bones. It can turn on and off genes that direct our cells to regulate blood glucose levels, and immune and vascular function.” Rajakumar and his colleagues enrolled 225 healthy, but vitamin D-deficient, 10- to 18-year-old children in Pittsburgh who were overweight or obese in the clinical trial, and 211 of them were black. People with darker skin have higher amounts of melanin pigment in their skin and are more likely than their lighter-skinned counterparts to be vitamin D deficient. This is because vitamin D is made in the body when the skin is directly exposed to sunlight, and melanin in the skin acts as a natural sunscreen and inhibits vitamin D production. Overweight and obese children also have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, as well as developing diabetes and heart disease. The children were split into three groups and given pills that appeared identical, but contained different quantities of vitamin D, which is measured in international units, or IUs. One group received a 600 IU tablet daily, which is the current recommended daily dietary allowance. The other two groups received either a 1,000 IU or 2,000 IU tablet daily, still well below the 4,000 IU daily maximum considered safe for children in this age range. During the trial, neither the participants, nor their doctors, knew which dose each child was receiving. Blood tests showed that the higher the daily dose of vitamin D, the greater the improvement in the participants’ blood concentration of vitamin D. By the conclusion of the trial, none of the groups was considered vitamin D deficient. After six months, the children receiving the daily 2,000 IU vitamin D supplement had a reduced fasting blood glucose level and improved insulin sensitivity — both of which reduce susceptibility to diabetes and improve cardiovascular health. After six months, the children receiving 1,000 IUs of vitamin D daily had lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is bad because it increases risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. The study did not reveal any significant changes in measures of the health of the membrane that lines the blood vessels or arterial stiffness — both of which are strong indicators of heart health and were the primary measures that the researchers were seeking to influence with vitamin D supplementation. “There are many reasons we might not have seen changes in endothelial function or arterial stiffness,” said Rajakumar, who also is a pediatrician at UPMC Children’s Hospital. “Maybe vitamin D simply doesn’t influence these, or perhaps we didn’t reach and maintain a level of vitamin D to cause an effect. It could also be that our trial didn’t run long enough. However, treatment of vitamin D deficiency with these higher daily doses can have a positive impact on cardiometabolic health of children, without negative side effects.” The senior author on this study is Steven E. Reis, M.D., of Pitt. Additional authors are Charity G. Moore, Ph.D., Arshad T. Khalid, M.S., Abbe N. Vallejo, Ph.D., Mohamed A. Virji, M.D., Ph.D., Susan L. Greenspan, M.D., and Silva Arslanian, M.D., all of Pitt, UPMC Children’s, or both; and Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., of Boston University Medical Center. To read the original article click here.

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