As I’m writing this, it’s the beginning of the second half of November and we’re a stone’s throw from the holiday season. Having grown up in New York City, I normally associate this time of the year with brisk, chilly weather, but for most of the past two weeks it’s been a sunny and balmy 70 degrees here! It’s certainly not the first time it’s been this warm here this late in the year, but it’s not exactly the norm either. As you may have noticed from some of my past ruminations on the weather, I’m a bit fascinated and you might even say a little obsessed with just how much it has strayed from our notion what it’s “supposed” to look like at various times of the year. The lines delineating the Four Seasons as we have always known them are definitely getting blurrier. Whether this is a good sign or not remains to be seen.
It seems that the weather is not the only area where conventional wisdom is being challenged –even turned on its head. Apparently new information has been coming to light that might explain why some children are pre-disposed to becoming fat or even obese. As far as straying from our notion of what causes childhood obesity (and possibly even adult obesity), this one’s a doozie!
It’s estimated that roughly 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. People are finding it more and more difficult to shed those stubborn pounds, no matter how hard they try. But the most alarming trend, and one that might offer a clue about why the problem is so obstinate, is the rapidly rising rate of childhood obesity. For a variety of reasons, kids today are simply not getting the same amount of exercise they were getting a generation or more ago. On top of that, there’s a dearth of choices when it comes to nutritious foods kids can enjoy driving them to the nutrient-deficient junk food that typically comprises their diet. At first glance it seems that the problem can be easily explained away by the combination of these two circumstances. But if you dig beneath the surface just a bit, what you will learn might shock you.
Recent studies in the area of childhood obesity have revealed some startling findings that have forced scientific researchers to look beyond the obvious and long held beliefs about weight gain, in order to explain this alarming phenomenon. In 2006 for example, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that the prevalence of obesity in infants under 6 months rose a whopping 73 percent since 1980.
This epidemic of obesity in infants has turned conventional wisdom regarding weight gain and loss on its head. Until now everyone believed that weight gain was the direct result of consuming more calories than you burn — a perfectly good explanation except when applied to babies. Since infants pretty much only consume breast milk and formula, the logical conclusion is there must be something else going on.
Tune in later this week for more on a new class of chemicals called Obesogens, that scientists believe may hold the key to understanding some of the more puzzling and disturbing health trends that have been unfolding in recent years. After you read it you may never again feel the same way about the products you use everyday, including some of your body products!
