Kids Fitness, Health & Wellness » Wellness

New Compound Blocks Bitter Flavors

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:10:33 +0000

The American Chemical Society has announced a new compound, GIV3616, that has the ability to block bitter tastes from your taste buds. This compound could be added to foods, beverages, and even medicines to give them a more pleasant taste. While this compound is not the only one of its kind (artificial sweeteners contain a similar compound called GIV3727), it is much more potent than others before it and dissolves more quickly into foods and beverages. Many of you may be wondering why this new compound is so revolutionary to the average consumer. While GIV3616 can certainly be added to cough syrups to make them taste better to both kids and adults, perhaps the most exciting use for this new compound has to do with healthy eating. Our nation recognizes that obesity is an epidemic in our country that can lead to a variety of health related issues, so Americans are trying to eat healthier and lead more active lifestyles. GIV3616 can be added to low-calorie drinks to take away that aftertaste that they tend to have. It can also be added to healthy foods to block out the bitter tastes that keep some from consuming them. Food manufacturers around the world are trying to make foods that contain less salt , fat, and sugar. However, these foods are not always pleasing to the palate. This problem can easily be solved by blocking the tastes that are not very appealing and adding a sweeter flavor. Just think…..broccoli could become a new favorite food for kids around the world. Move over pizza….make room for brussel sprouts!!!!

Check out the link below for the full story!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42323287/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Raising Healthy Kids

admin — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:32:48 +0000

If you are a frequent visitor to our blog, you know that we focus on childhood fitness as a way to help prevent childhood diabetes and obesity. Our online fitness program, GoTrybe, is just one way to incorporate fitness and nutrition into the lives of your children. While most parents would agree that they want their children to live healthy and active lives, is it possible to raise healthy kids if you are not healthy yourself? After doing some research, I came across an article from WebMD that discussed how to raise active kids when you are an inactive parent. A study from 2010 showed that parents who watch 2 hrs. or more of television each day also have kids who do the same. This may be due largely in part to the fact that parents spend time with their children by watching tv rather than doing physical activities as a family such as bike riding or yoga. This is a trend that is easy to change by getting off the couch and engaging yourself and your children in an active lifestyle. WebMD recommends starting this active lifestyle at a slow pace so that you do not get burned out by adding a 10 minute walk to your day and building up from there. Remember that you are one of the most important role models in your child’s life. If you do not live a healthy lifestyle, it makes it difficult for your children to.

WebMD offers a variety of activities that are fun and will encourage physical activity in your life. These activities are age specific and will help you get off to a good start on this important adventure that could save your life. Please visit the link below for the full article.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/raising-active-kids?page=2

Exercise Improves Math and Thinking Skills in Overweight Students

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:40:23 +0000

While it is easy to see the health benefits of exercising and living a healthy lifestyle when it comes to losing weight and decreasing the prevalence of obesity and diabetes, a new study shows that exercise actually motivates the brain to help students perform better in school. This study, highlighted in the January edition of Health Psychology, lead researcher Catherine Davis and her team collected data from 171 overweight students who ranged in age from 7 to 11. These students were randomly assigned to either not exercise after school at all, exercise for 20 minutes daily, or exercise for 40 minutes daily. The students who were chosen to exercise were asked to do so at a vigorous pace and to have fun with it Competition was not made a factor in the exercise and activities like hula hooping and jumping rope were encouraged.

At the end of the trial period, all students were given an achievement test, with some students being selected to receive an MRI to track brain activity levels in certain regions of the brain. These MRIs showed that students who exercised had increased activity in the area of the brain that is responsible for self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thoughts. The prefrontal cortex also showed increased activity, which is the area responsible for complex thinking and social behaviors. All of these are skills are used in mathematics and problem solving. The achievement test revealed that the more the children exercised, the more points they actually went up in intelligence testing-as much as 3.8 points for those who got 40 minutes of exercise daily for the three month period. So what does all this mean?

After examining the report, it is important to note that this study shows a link between exercise and actual student scores on achievement testing. Exercise motivates and stimulates the brain in the areas that are linked to improving scores in math and problem solving. Considering this latest research, we can see how important it is that our children get up and moving, not only for their physical health, but also for their mental health. The combination of new cafeteria guidelines for more nutritional school lunches and the state mandated physical activity requirements for classrooms are just two ways that our nation is acting on research of this nature. Hopefully, we are on our way to seeing a decrease in childhood obesity and diabetes and an increase in healthier lifestyles. GoTrybe is committed to helping schools make this happen.

http://news.health.com/2011/02/11/overweight-kids-who-exercise-improve-thinking-math-skills-study/

CDC Study Shows Southern and Appalachian States are Least Active

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:25:48 +0000

A new study from the Center for Disease Control, which measured the physical activity level of residents by county, showed that the Southern and Appalachian states were less active than all others. While Colorado proved to be one of the most active states in the U.S., Tennessee was one of the least active! This new data, taken from all 3,141 counties across the United States not only looked at the physical activity of each county, but also the obesity rates and diabetes data in each. According to Ann Albright, the director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, the Southern and Appalachian states clearly showed up in each of the three categories, showing a definite trend across these three areas. While we know that obesity and diabetes is increasing at alarming rates, we also know that one of the major ways to prevent these two things is with physical activity and a healthy diet. If states in our region are not getting enough physical activity, it is safe to say that this is a trend that will continue to increase and impact our children and communities. Programs like GoTrybe are implemented into our Tennessee classrooms to ensure that students know how to eat a healthy meal and increase physical activity to prepare for a healthier life.

http://www.diabetes.org/news-research/news/diabetes-in-the-news/cdc-report-inactivity.html

Do Working Moms Contribute to Obesity?

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:46:10 +0000

While we know that childhood obesity continues to rise at an alarming rate, we strive to know the causes for this rise and prevention efforts to keep this trend from continuing throughout life. A new study from the Child Development journal says that the more years a mother spends working after her child is born, the more that child’s body mass index increases. While this may make many working mothers feel guilty and the statistics were significant, they were not reported to be jaw-dropping. The increase in body mass index amounted to about one pound of weight. While 70% of mothers are working during these tough economic times, it is easy to see how fast-food and suppers that are not the healthiest are being served around the nation. Time plays a factor in how much mothers are able to prepare a healthy meal and allow their families to sit down and enjoy it.

While the researchers certainly do not mean to point the finger at working mothers, they identify that this is just one of the factors that may affect childhood obesity. This research was conducted through the American University, Cornell University, and and the University of Chicago. 900 children in grades 3, 5, and 6 in 10 different cities in the U.S. were analyzed as the researchers looked at the time that working mothers spent on the job from the child’s birth to 6th grade. The biggest differences in BMI seemed to occur as the students got closer to middle school ages. However, it is also easy to see how students of these ages spend a great deal of time on the computer, social networks, video games, and cell phones. All of these things take away from the time spent doing actual physical activity.

So, are we to assume that mothers should just stop working? Absolutely not. In fact, in most cases, this is not a viable alternative. Mothers are encouraged to make healthy meals that can be prepared in advance for those long work days, have a family meal where all family members sit and eat together, and even make sure children are gettting the proper amount of sleep each night. The study is not designed to suggest that mothers should stop working and stay at home, but rather that they must better prepare to make healthier meals for the family while they have time. Let us not forget how important it is for our kids to get plenty of physical activity each day!!!

http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/04/are-working-moms-to-blame-for-childhood-obesity/

Center for Disease Control Announces New Diabetes Estimates

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:40:49 +0000

The Center for Disease Control announced new estimates for 2011 regarding people who have diabetes or prediabetes this past Wednesday. It is estimated that over 26 million Americans now have diabetes, while another 79 million have prediabetes. Prediabetes is defined by the CDC as being a condition where blood sugar levels are high, but not quite high enough to be classified as diabetic. While the most common form of diabetes is Type II, we know that one of the number one causes of this type of diabetes is obesity and weight gain. According to Dr. Jacob Warman of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York, the rise in diabetes may have another cause besides just obesity. Dr. Warman notes that the American Diabetes Association has actually lowered the guidelines for diagnosing diabetes by using hemoglobin levels to diagnose both diabetes and prediabetes. This could account for some of the rising numbers, while no one can deny that the studies of obesity in America remain valid points.

Perhaps the most concerning fact regarding the new CDC estimates is not the number of Americans who are diabetic, but rather the 7 million people who fall into the category of diabetic and do not even know it yet. National attention is now being given to this alarming epidemic and more education programs are being made readily available to both children and adults. These improvements could mean that people living with diabetes could live longer through proper disease management and a healthier lifestyle. Complications from diabetes include everything from kidney failure to blindness, making it more important than ever for those living with diabetes to learn to manage it properly. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in America, costing the nation$174 billion dollars annually. This is even more reason for us to continue to get the word out about diabetes and prevention. The current trend means that by the year 2050, one in three Americans could be diabetic. The time is now to make a difference.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/649276.html?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5

New Bill Would Require Minimum Physical Activity Requirements

admin — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:12:12 +0000

A new bill that was introduced to the House of Representatives on Tuesday would call for a minimum of physical activity requirements for all public schools across the nation, regardless of grade level. This new legislation, the Physical Education to Create a Healthier Nation Act, would require that all schools provide physical activity for at least 150 minutes each week to all students at the elementary school level. Students in the middle schools and high schools would be required to get 225 minutes of physical activity each week as a minimum. While these standards are currently being met by a few states, many are still lacking in the physical activity curriculum. This bill comes in response to the increasing costs of healthcare each year due largely to obesity in this nation as a rising epidemic. Obesity costs our nation $147 billion each year, with those costs expected to rise to $1 trillion by 2030. At the current rate, obesity alone will bankrupt the nation in healthcare costs. Therefore, we are doing everything we can to provide students with adequate physical activity at school, healthier meals, and nutrition education programs to provide them with information to education themselves regarding nutrition. If this new bill gets approval, it would be a step in a positive direction toward fighting childhood obesity. Programs like GoTrybe are being offered to schools to help them meet these minimum requirements and to provide a basis for activities that can be performed at home with parents and friends. Our program has been a huge success with students and teachers all around the area and we hope to keep expanding to meet the needs of the nation.

http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-los-angeles/schools-to-get-required-minimum-physical-education-standards-under-new-bill

Sleep Deprivation May Increase the Risk of Childhood Obesity

admin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:48:59 +0000

According to the latest issue of Pediatrics, young children who do not get enough sleep are actually four times as likely to be obese. The most recent study, conducted by the University of Chicago, studied the sleep patterns of children ages 4 and 10 for a total of one week. The 308 study participants were evaluated before the study by their Body Mass Index to help identify them as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Obese children were found to get fewer hours of sleep on the weekends and on school nights! Children who got the least amount of sleep were found to be 4.2 times more likely to be obese. The lead researcher, Dr. David Gozal, made note that even getting some catch-up sleep on the weekends is better than not gettting enough sleep at all! While catch-up sleep is definitely not a complete solution to the problem, the lack of sleep period is a huge risk factor for obesity. Therefore, it is not only important to eat healthy and exercise with programs like our very own, GoTrybe, but also to get plenty of rest for the upcoming day.

To see a video of the ABC broadcast, along with the complete article, visit the link below:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/lack-weekend-catch-sleep-risk-childhood-obesity/story?id=12743677

Childhood Obesity Study: One-Third of 9 Month Olds are Already Obese

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:08:04 +0000

A new study conducted by researchers Brian Moss (Wayne State University in Detroit) and William Yeaton (University of Michigan) suggest that one-third of all 9 month old babies are already obese, as well as 34% of 2 year olds. This new research was the first to track a nationally representative sample of children that were born in 2001 and compare their weight at 9 months with their weight at 2 years of age. While there is no actual weight to determine obesity at this young of an age, the researchers considered children in the 95th percentile on the CDC growth chart to be classified as overweight or obese. The results of this study showed that children who start out being on the heavy side tend to continue down that same path, while children who start out at a normal weight tend to stay that way. The data used to collect this sample came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort that contained 8,900 babies at 9 months and 7,500 of those same babies at 2 years of age. While the issue of childhood obesity is no secret and has certainly got attention in Washington lately, it is certainly a trend that is getting worse instead of better. While both researchers agree that putting a child that young on a diet is not ok, they do suggest not introducing kids to junk food at such a young age. Rather than putting french fries in the hand of a 9 month old, fruits and veggies would be much more beneficial. This study pointed out the fact that Hispanic children and those of a low socioeconomic status are more likely to be obese, therefore indicating that intervention programs that target these groups could prove to be quite helpful to most.

Some may ask what can be done to stop this growing epidemic is infants. Researchers suggest breastfeeding infants solely instead of bottle feeding as a way to prevent obesity and adding more fiber to their diets with fruits rather than fruit juices. While there is no absolute answer to the problem of childhood obesity, there are certain lifestyle changes that we can all make to help our children grow up to be happy and healthy adults equipped with good nutrition, exercise, and an active lifestyle.

Visit the link below for the complete article

http://www.livescience.com/health/third-of-babies-overweight-obese-101231.html

Fit Kids Get Higher Test Scores

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:57:48 +0000

The American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention and the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism recently held its third dual conference March 2-5 in San Francisco, Calif. The program is designed to encourage and promote the development, advancement and exchange of new information about treating and preventing heart disease and stroke. A new study discussed at this conference lends merit to the idea that kids with a greater fitness level have improved academic performance. I have extracted the following from the full article which can be found on the American Heart Association website.

Physical fitness is associated with academic performance in young people, according to a report presented at the American Heart Association’s 2010 Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

“As children’s health continues to be a concern — especially when it comes to obesity — some have suggested that children’s physical fitness is associated with their academic performance,” said Lesley A. Cottrell, Ph.D., study presenting author and associate professor of pediatrics at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va. “The research, however, had not developed enough to define the nature of that relationship.”

To study the association between children’s physical fitness and academic performance, Cottrell and colleagues analyzed the body mass index percentiles, fitness levels and standardized academic test scores of 725 fifth grade students in Wood County, W.Va. The researchers focused more on the children’s fitness level than their weight. They then compared that data to students’ fitness and academic performance two years later, in the seventh grade.

They separated the participants into four groups of students who were:

in high physical fitness levels in fifth grade and remained so in seventh grade;

fit in fifth grade but had lost their fitness by seventh grade;

not fit in fifth grade but were physically fit by seventh grade;

not physically fit at the beginning of the study, in fifth grade, nor at the end of the study, in seventh grade.

Children who had the best average scores in standardized tests in reading, math, science and social studies were fit at the start and end of the study, researchers found. The next best group, academically, in all four subjects, was made up of children who were not fit in fifth grade but had become fit by seventh grade. The children who had lost their fitness levels between fifth and seventh grades were third in academic performance. Children who were not physically fit in either the fifth or seventh grades had the lowest academic performance.

“The take-home message from this study is that we want our kids to be fit as long as possible and it will show in their academic performance,” Cottrell said. “But if we can intervene on those children who are not necessarily fit and get them to physically fit levels, we may also see their academic performance increase.”

Youth who are regularly active also have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. The American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily and they participate in physical activities that are appropriate for their age and enjoyable.
The study suggests that focusing more on physical fitness and physical education in school would result in healthier, happier and smarter children, Cottrell said.

Authors: Lesley A Cottrell, West Virginia Univ, Morgantown, WV; Richard Wittberg, Mid-Ohio Valley Health Dept, Parkersburg, WV; Karen Northrup, Wood County Schs, Parkersburg, WV. Other details listed in the abstract.