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More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.
Many U.S. toddlers are also obese and are even showing signs
of diabetes and other diseases associated with obesity, according
to researchers.
Moreover, when obese children were sent to specialists they
still did not achieve healthier weights.
Researchers examined the medical records of 385 children,
most of whom were already obese, defined as being in the 85th
percentile for weight. The children were seen by endocrinologists,
or hormone specialists, between 1984 and 2002.
Although the parents were educated on proper diet and exercise
for their children as well as advised to meet with a dietician,
after two years the children weighed, on average, even more
than before.
According to researchers, it is clear that referral to pediatric
endocrinologists and dieticians is not effective in treating
childhood obesity. Instead, they suggest a weight-loss program
that includes the children, parents and the school system.
The children in the study, some as young as 4 years old,
also had high insulin levels, which can lead to type 2 diabetes,
and 13 percent of 147 children tested had abnormal liver function
tests, according to researchers. Such tests indicate a common
condition with obesity known as fatty liver, which can lead
to cirrhosis.
People who are obese or overweight have an increased risk
of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
Pediatric Academic Societies
Meeting in Seattle May 4, 2003
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