Overweight Mother = Overweight Daughter? Research says 'probably'

Obesity 'link to same-sex parent' 

There is a strong link in obesity between mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, but not across the gender divide, research suggests.

A study of 226 families by Plymouth's Peninsula Medical School found obese mothers were 10 times more likely to have obese daughters.

For fathers and sons, there was a six-fold rise. But in both cases children of the opposite sex were not affected.   The researchers believe the link is behavioural rather than genetic.  They say the findings mean policy on obesity should be re-thought.

Researchers said it was "highly unlikely" that genetics was playing a role in the findings as it would be unusual for them to influence children along gender lines.  Instead, they said it was probably because of some form of "behavioural sympathy" where daughters copied the lifestyles of their mothers and sons their fathers.  It is because of this conclusion that experts believe government policy on tackling obesity should be re-thought.

Much of the focus so far in the UK - in terms of targets and monitoring - has been targeted at younger age groups in the belief that obese children become obese adults.   But the researchers said the assumption ignored the fact that eight in 10 obese adults were not severely overweight when they were children.  In fact, they said their findings suggested the opposite was true - that obese adults led to obese children, the International Journal of Obesity reported.   Study leader Professor Terry Wilkin said: "It is the reverse of what we have thought and this has fundamental implications for policy.  "We should be targeting the parents and that is not something we have really done to date." 

New direction

His team took weight and height measurements for children and parents over a three-year period.  Segen Yosf has been on an obesity-awareness course: 'If your mum's not healthy you won't be healthy'.  They found that 41% of the eight-year-old daughters of obese mothers were obese, compared to 4% of girls with normal-weight mothers. There was no difference in the proportion for boys.  For boys, 18% of the group with obese fathers were also obese, compared to just 3% for those with normal-weight fathers. Again, there was no difference in the proportion for girls. 

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "This is telling the government that they now have to look for a new direction.  "We have to make sure parents are in a good condition to bring up their children in a normal manner."  He said he wanted to see more interventions like the one introduced this year offering vouchers to pregnant women for healthy food.

The Department of Health insisted it was already targeting parents through the Change4Life campaign (UK), which was launched at the start of the year and brings together a host of local healthy lifestyle initiatives.  A spokesman added: "The obesity epidemic is one of the most challenging public health issues we face." 

Source:  BBC News

American Fast Food (what a stupid way to die)

You can purchase this song "American Fast Food" off the album 'Our Recollections' by Randy Stonehill on iTunes or go to www.randystonehill.com.  All Rights Reserved WMG.

Obesity Reaching Epidemic Proportions

Wall Street Journal reports Colorado is the only state in the union with lower than 20% obesity.

Don't Raise a Junk Food Flunkie

"Junk food diet 'makes children more likely to fail at school'" is the headline in The Daily Telegraph. It reports on a study that showed “even when other factors, such as low income or poor housing were removed, diet significantly affected the children's development". Children who "lived on sweets, crisps and chicken nuggets from an early age were 10% more likely to be failing between the ages of six and ten than their classmates”, the newspaper reports.

The main result of the study was that eating a lot of junk food at age three was associated with slower progress later in primary school. An extra finding highlighted by the researchers was that eating either packed lunches or school meals made no difference to children’s educational attainment. This finding is less reliable because of the small number of children involved.

Where did the story come from?

Dr Leon Feinstein and colleagues from the Institute of Education at the University of London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Bristol carried out this research. Core support for the study was provided by the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol. It was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

What kind of scientific study was this?

This was an analysis of data from a cohort study. The data came from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), an ongoing population-based study designed to investigate the effects of environmental, genetic and other influences on the health and development of children. Complex statistical methods were used to assess the relative importance of diet on school attainment at different ages.

The participants were pregnant women who lived in the former Avon health authority in south-west England and were expected to give birth between April 1 1991 and December 31 1992. Of all the potential mothers in this area, the researchers recruited a group of 14,541 pregnant women and their 13,988 children who were alive at 12 months old. The mothers completed questionnaires during pregnancy and when the children were various ages. Children’s educational attainment at 6–7 years and 10–11 years old was assessed by obtaining the Key Stage 1 (KS1) results for reading, writing and maths and Key Stage 2 (KS2) results for English, maths and science from the relevant education authorities. Key Stages are national standards for what children should be taught at particular ages, children’s levels of attainment of the set curricula are assessed at each age or Key Stage.

Information about the children’s diet was collected from mothers or main female carers using a food frequency questionnaire, which asked about their child’s consumption of food and drink at about three years, about four years and about seven years old. The researchers identified three different patterns in the children’s diets: “junk food”, containing high-fat processed foods (sausages and burgers), snack foods high in fat and/or sugar (such as crisps, sweets, chocolate, ice lollies and ice creams), fizzy drinks and takeaway meals; ‘‘health conscious’’, comprising vegetarian foods, nuts, salad, rice, pasta, fruit, cheese, fish, cereal, water and fruit juice; and ‘‘traditional’’, typically meat and cooked vegetables.

"Early eating patterns have implications for attainment that appear to persist over time, regardless of subsequent changes in diet"

Leon Feinstein, lead author

In the questionnaire about the seven-year-old children, the mothers also reported whether their child ate meals served at school or packed lunches provided from home, and how often they did this. Frequency was recorded as: rarely, once in two weeks, once a week, two to four times a week or five days a week. Details of socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle factors were also collected.

Of the 13,988 children in the original set of data, dietary information at all three ages was only available for 7,703 children and, of these children, only some had information on both KS2 and KS1 scores. The final study sample therefore consisted of 5,741 children with complete information on food frequencies and both school attainment scores results (41% of the original sample of 13,998 children).

What were the results of the study? 

The data collected in the questionnaire about seven-year-old children showed that 29% ate school dinners five days a week and nearly half (46%) ate packed lunches five days a week.

The researchers found that higher ‘‘junk food’’ dietary pattern scores at three, four and seven were associated with lower average KS2 results. In contrast, a positive association was shown for the ‘‘health conscious’’ dietary pattern and KS2 results. The ‘‘traditional’’ dietary pattern showed no association with KS2 results. When potential confounding factors were taken into account, a weak association remained between “junk food” at age three and lower attainment.

There was no evidence that eating packed lunches or eating school meals affected children’s attainment, once the impact of junk food dietary pattern at age three was accounted for in the model.

What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?

The researchers conclude that “early eating patterns have implications for educational attainment that appear to persist over time, regardless of subsequent changes in diet.”  Translation:  Start your child eating and drinking healthy food, water and milk when they're infants and your child will benefit throughout life.

Luna and Lara

"Mom I'm FAT!"

Nobody needs to tell your dear child that he or she is overweight.  They already know, and they are already trying to process it any way they can.  Unfortunately, without your help, the way they process it could lead to further problems like secret eating and low self esteem.  So go ahead and talk about it.  More importantly, LISTEN about it.

We went through many of the same things.  There’s nothing new under the sun.  Being picked last for teams, being teased at school, struggling in sports, being ridiculed or having difficulty fitting into clothes are just a few of the pains overweight children may have to endure. 

You are the absolute best person to talk to your child about his or her weight because nobody loves your child more.  Therefore, nobody else can empathize as you can.  These frustrations and pains need to be expressed by your child and then validated by you.  Don’t shrink back; it’s the right thing to do.  Encourage.  Listen.  Validate.  Empathize.  RELATE.  Be available.

Unconditional love and acceptance are the life-blood of a child who struggles with weight problems.  You are the primary source of this love, so pour it on with reckless abandon.

Don’t do anything too harsh or rash like super strict diets…they will backfire.  Rather, make small adjustments here and there to put the right things to eat and drink in front of your child.  The last thing you should do is to highlight the fact your child is overweight by over-reacting with harsh diets.  That could spell rejection to them, which is the opposite of unconditional love.

Kids come in all shapes and sizes, and genetic pre-disposition can be a hard taskmaster.  That’s why good habits and small steady adjustments are the best defense against the propensity for your child to be overweight.

Luna and Lara speak about water a lot, for obvious reasons.  However, we are not concerned about kids drinking more water because we’re in the water business.  We’re in the water business because we’re concerned about kids drinking more water.  That disclaimer said, ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO DRINK MORE WATER!  It will greatly aid metabolism, it will help them to process their meals, and it will “fill the gap” with something healthy and life-giving rather than something fattening like sugary soda, sweets or even juice.

Your example is the absolute best thing you can offer your child.  If you want him or her to develop good eating and drinking habits, exhibit good eating and drinking habits.  Show more than tell.

Resist the urge to set a timetable for weight loss.  In fact, weight loss is not the issue at all…good habits are.  Rather than a timetable, make a LIFE change.  Over time, you will begin to see the benefits not only in your child’s weight but in their overall good health.  The good news is, kids learn fast.  It may not seem like it, but it’s true.   

Go for “possible”, not for “perfect”. 

Pick Five:  Choose five realistic goals, such as substituting fatty foods for healthy ones; serving water instead of soda; buy flavoured water instead of juice (shameless but true); buy complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones.

Finally, be patient.  Be patient.  Be patient.  And above all, pour on the unconditional love and affirmation…it’s better to have a slightly overweight child who knows they are loved than a skinny one who doesn’t.

Luna and Lara

The Story of Luna and Lara

There’s a magical Springdom near Sligo Bay
Where glows Luna by Night and shines Lara by Day
Luna the moon and Lara the sun
Take turns keeping watch over everyone
So close your eyes and get carried away
To where children drink water four times a day
Luna glows brightly and lights up the night
Whilst Lara made sure that their daytime was bright
The Springdom of water is warmed by her rays
The children play happily in them for days
Tabby the Cloud Prince flies on his cloud
To tell you the reason he’s so very proud
“I came down through the rivers and oceans
To tell you boys and girls about a magical potion
When I was born I was given an order
To show you all the wonders from the Springdom of water”
Now Tara the Star Princess has something to say
About drinking water four times a day.
“ It helps you do sports and your favourite hobbies
It keeps you cool, strong and clear and cleanses your body
When I was born I was given an order
To tell you all the wisdom of the Springdom of water.
Now Tabby and Tara have a dear friend,
For an Aquanaut’s faithful, right to the end.
“I’m the world’s only Aquanaut and I’m worth knowin’
I keep the pure water in the Springdom flowin’
I love Apples and Strawberries, pure water too,
Plus lots of good vitamins so good for you!

At breaktimes, lunchtimes, bedtimes and tea
Lets drink lots of water for them to see
Drinking more water’s the smart thing to do,
For all the dear children and that includes YOU!
Luna and Lara have a message that’s right
Always drinks water from day until night!

Dragon Colouring Sheet

Dragons are trusty sidekicks of every good prince, and Tabby the Cloud Prince is no exception.  In this coloring sheet, kids can color Dino to help them in their daily adventures. This dragon looks pretty friendly, but he's very protective of the children in the Springdom of Water.  He might not make a good pet!  If you would like a PDF download of Dino for your child to colour, click here.


Luna and Lara

Juice has more sugar than Coke? Yep!

 

JUST WHAT IS THE SUGAR CONTENT OF FRUIT JUICE? We’ll use orange, apple, cherry and grape juice as examples. Even with no sugar added, fruit juice contains about the same amount of sugar as the same amount of soft drink. Because apples, oranges and grapes are naturally full of sugar. (No surprise there: Processed sugar comes from plants, usually corn or sugar cane or sugar beets.) The table below compares the sugar in 12 ounces of juice (no sugar added) with 12 ounces (one can) of Coca-Cola. If you look at the nutrition label on a can of Coke or fruit juice, the “carbohydrate” is mostly sugar. Four grams of sugar carbs equal approximately 1 teaspoon of sugar.

12 ounces of >>>>>>>	Coca-Cola	Orange Juice	Apple Juice	Cherry Juice	Grape Juice
Total carbohydrates	40 g	39 g	42 g	49.5 g	60 g
Carbs from sugar	40 g	33 g	39 g	37.5 g	58.5 g
Sugar (teaspoons)	10 tsp	8 tsp	10 tsp	9 tsp	15 tsp
Calories	145	165	165	210	240

WHAT DOES THE CHART TELL US? It tells us that no matter which juice you choose, they all have more calories than the same amount of Coke. It tells us that juice — 100 percent juice, no sugar added — contains about the same amount of sugar (or even more — 50 percent more for grape juice) as the same volume of Coke. For this comparison we used: Classic Coke, Tropicana HomeStyle Orange Juice, Walnut Acres Organic 100 Percent Apple Juice, Eden Organic Montmorency Cherry Juice (no sweetener added) and R.W. Knudsen Unsweetened Concord Grape Juice. The numbers in the chart were calculated from the nutrition labels on the containers.

Luna and Lara want you to know the facts behind the marketing.  Whether you choose our pure Irish spring water or another pure water, we can assure you that it is the absolute best way to hydrate your child (and yourself!)

Luna and Lara

*For more information, visit Hooked on Juice, the source of this data.

How much water is enough?

W-O-W 8:   How much water is enough?

Wise-up-On-Water!  Children’s water requirements vary with age. As milk intake decreases, water obtained from drinks becomes increasingly important. There are no agreed recommended daily intake levels for water in the UK, but recommendations from the US National Academies Food and Nutrition Board1suggest that:

• 1-3 year olds should drink 0.9 litres per day

• 4-8 year olds should drink 1.2 litres per day and

• 9-13 year old girls should drink 1.6 litres per day, and boys should drink 1.8 litres per day

• 14-18 year old girls should drink 1.8 litres per day, and boys should drink 2.6 litres per day

Water intake should be higher in warm weather or when the child is exercising.

Whether your child drinks Luna and Lara Irish spring water or another pure water, just be sure they have enough!

Sincerely,
The Pin

Your skin is a water reservoir. Tank up!

W-O-W 7: Water helps give you a healthy mouth and skin

Wiseup-On-Water!  Having a dry mouth is one of the early signs of dehydration.18 Mild dehydration may be a risk factor for dental disease because it impairs saliva production. Saliva is essential for good oral health because:

• it neutralizes the acid created by the bacteria which cause tooth decay

• lubricates oral membranes

• contains minerals that enable tooth repair, and

• contains antibacterial agents that inhibit the growth of oral bacteria and help

prevent gum disease.45

Being well hydrated keeps skin looking healthy as well. The skin acts as a water reservoir and participates in fluid regulation for the whole body.46Mild dehydration causes skin to appear flushed, dry and loose.18,47

So stay topped up on water for a healthier mouth and skin!

Luna and Lara 

18 Kleiner SM. Water: An essential but overlooked nutrient.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1999:99:201-7

http://foodinschools.datacenta.uk.net/home.asp?idTopic=0&id

Page=1

45 Smith AJ and Shaw L. Mild dehydration: a risk factor for

dental disease? European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57(Suppl 2):S75-80

46 Eisenbeiss C, Welzel J, Eichler W and Klotz K. Influence of

body water distribution on skin thickness: measurements

using high-frequency ultrasound. British Journal of

Dermatology 2001;144:947-951

47 Principles of Human Nutrition. Ed M Eastwood. Chapter 8:

Water, electrolytes, minerals and trace elements. London:

Chapman & Hall 1997

Water lowers risk of chronic disease

W-O-W Part Six:  Help protect your child against the risk of chronic disease

Wiseup-On-Water!  Drinking enough water can help to protect the body against certain chronic diseases. Individuals who maintain good hydration levels have been shown to have a reduced risk of developing the following diseases:

• breast,37 colorectal,38 urinary tract cancer.39,40

• cardiovascular disease41

• gallstones 42

• kidney and bladder stones 43,44

Whether you give your child our Irish spring water, or pure water from elsewhere, please seriously consider the direct relationship between sufficient water intake and increased risk of these chronic diseases. 

Here's to happier, healthier kids!

Luna and Lara

37 Stookey JD, Belderson PE, Russell JM, Barker ME.

Correspondence re: J. Shannon et al. Relationship of food

groups and water intake to colon cancer risk. Cancer

Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 1997;6:657-658

38 Shannon J, White E, Shattuck AL, Potter JD. Relationship of

food groups and water intake to colon cancer risk. Cancer

Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prev. 1996;5:495-502

39 Bitterman WA, Farhadian H, Abu S-C, Lerner D, Amoun H,

Krapf D, Makov UK. Environmental and nutritional factors

significantly associated with cancer of the urinary tract

among different ethnic groups. Urologic Clinics of North

America 1991;18:501-8

40 Wilkens LR, Kadir MM, Kolonel LN, Nomura AM, Hankin JH.

Risk factors for lower urinary tract cancer: the role of total

fluid consumption, nitrites and nitrosamines, and selected

foods. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

1996;5:161-166

41 Chan J, Knutsen SF, Blix GG, Lee JW, Fraser GE. Water, other

fluids, and fatal coronary heart disease. American Journal of

Epidemiology 2002;155:827-33

42 Math MV, Rampal PM, Faure XR and Delmont JP. Gallbladder

emptying after drinking water and its possible role in

prevention of gallstone formation. Singapore Medical Journal

1986;27:531-2

43 Curhan GC, Willett WC, Rimm EB and Stampfer MJ. A

prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and

the risk of symptomatic kidney stones. New England Journal

of Medicine 1993;328:833-38

44 Siener R and Hesse A. Fluid intake and epidemiology of

urolithiasis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57(Suppl 2):S47-S51

Mom I just wanna watch TV!

W-O-W Part Five:  Turn off that TV and go play!

Wiseup-On-Water!  Children need to be active in order to stay healthy. The increase in childhood obesity has been linked to declining activity levels.29   Poor hydration can cause feelings of tiredness and reduced alertness, leading to reluctance to exercise.30   When exercise is taken, even mild dehydration can impair physical performance.31  In adults, there is a reduction in physical work capacity at 2 per cent dehydration of between 8-25 per cent.  When exercising in hot conditions at 1-2 per cent dehydration, children experience a greater increase in core body temperature than adults.32   This suggests that the same level of dehydration may have greater adverse effects on children’s physical performance.1 Children should be well hydrated before prolonged physical exercise in a hot environment.

Every 20 minutes during the activity:

• a 40kg child should be encouraged to drink 150ml of water, and

• a 60kg adolescent should be encouraged to drink 250ml of water even if they do not feel thirsty.33

Children exercising in warm weather are at particular risk of dehydration because, compared with adults, they are less efficient at thermoregulation,33 produce more metabolic heat relative to their weight,34 are less sensitive to thirst, and may not understand the need for increased fluid consumption.35 Swimmers need to maintain good hydration levels since water immersion reduces the thirst response. This coupled with exercise makes them susceptible to dehydration.36

Luna and Lara want to encourage children to go outside and play.  Try limiting the amount of time your child watches television or internet.  Sounds crazy, but offer to go out and play with them!  You have a million other things to do, but you will never look back and wish you had spent more time cleaning or working.  Invest in play equipment or install good fencing instead of upgrading your computer.  You, and more importantly your child, will be better for it.  And while you're out there, drink plenty of water!  Whether it's Luna and Lara or tap water, we just want to get more water down ya so you and yours can be healthier and happier!  Luna and Lara were created to make it more attractive and fun for children to drink water because, let's face it, water can be a bit boring.  That's where your new play set comes in!  Enjoy!

Luna and Lara

29 Livingstone MB. Robson PJ. Wallace JM. McKinley MC. How

active are we? Levels of routine physical activity in children

and adults. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.

2003;62:681-701

30 Maughan RJ. Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on

exercise performance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57 (Suppl 2):S19-23

31 Barr SI. Effects of dehydration on exercise performance.

Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology 1999;24:164-72

32 Bar-Or O, Dotan R, Inbar O, Rotshtein A and Zonder H.

Voluntary hypohydration in 10 to 12 year-old boys. Journal of

Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental & Exercise

Physiology 1980;48:104-8

33 American Academy of Paediatrics Committee on Sports

Medicine position paper: climatic heat stress and the

exercising child. Pediatrics 1982;69:808-809

34 American Academy of Paediatrics. Policy Statement. Climatic

Heat Stress and the exercising child and adolescent.

Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Paediatrics

2000;106:158-159

35 Maughan RJ. Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on

exercise performance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57 (Suppl 2):S19-23

36 Convertino VA, Armstrong LE, Copyle EF, Mack GW, Swaka

MN, Senay LC Jr, Sherman WM. American College of Sports

Medicine, Exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine & Science

in Sports and Exercise 1996;28:i-vii