The same is true in the UK, where childhood obesity has risen to almost epidemic proportions. It is estimated that one in five is now obese, and these children are putting themselves at risk of diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and strokes, and are well on the way to an early grave.

The rapid rate of increase in obesity suggests that behavioural and environmental influences rather than genetics play a fundamental role in its development. Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with a variety of serious adverse consequences, such as risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Furthermore research shows that 85% of obese children tend to be obese adults (Johannsen DL et al 2006).

These conditions not only cause poor health, reduced life expectancy and quality of life but also result in a tremendous economic burden. Obese children miss 20% more school days so perform poorly, are less likely to attain good jobs and also less likely to marry. Poor eating and exercise patterns are often established during childhood. Fortunately, a healthy home environment can promote healthy habits and alter unhealthy habits.

A study by Oliveira (2007) found that parent’s obesity history and socio-economic class play a significant role in the development of childhood overweight/obesity irrespective of ethnicity. It is known that the life style adopted by parents is generally transferred to their children, thus perpetuating the overweight phenotype (Stein & Colidtz, 2004). Therefore whole family education and lifestyle change is key in reducing childhood obesity.

In the White paper ‘Choosing Health’ (2004), the UK government stated its objective ‘to halt, by 2010, the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 by providing information, guidance and practical support for parents. Various health campaigns have been launched and initiatives implemented such as ‘change4life’, most of which focus on improving nutrition knowledge and awareness of healthy eating guidelines.

Nutrition knowledge has been associated with socio-economic variables including level of education. Therefore, current interventions may be more effective in some families, where parents are well educated and information may be better understood and applied, but less effective in less well-educated groups.

The government is starting to address this issue by introducing new policies such as ‘Every Child Matters’ (DOH 2004) where education about nutrition and exercise is implemented through schools and by changing laws on food advertising and how food is labelled in the supermarkets. Improved food labelling systems will help parents clearly understand and see at a glance foods that contain high sugar, salt and fats so that informed choices can be made.

Between 1995 and 2000 the proportion of overweight boys in England aged 2 to 19 years increased by two per cent and the proportion of overweight girls in the same age range increased by three per cent. In the same time period, the proportion of obese boys and girls increased by one per cent.

In 2000, 27 per cent of girls aged 2 to 19 years were overweight compared with 20 per cent of boys. In the same year, seven per cent of girls were obese compared with five per cent of boys.

In a typical week in 1997
Four in five young persons aged four to 18 years consumed white bread, chips, savoury snacks, biscuits, chocolate confectionery and boiled, mashed and jacket potatoes.

The most commonly consumed fruits among 4- to 18-year-olds were apples and pears (53 per cent of boys ; 57 per cent of girls) followed by bananas (38 per cent of boys and girls, respectively). Children and adolescents from higher socio-economic households were more likely to have eaten raw and salad vegetables, apples, pears and bananas than those from lower socio-economic households.

Parents should also be supportive of their children’s physical activity interests and enhance opportunities for them to play outside and engage in both recreational activities as well as incorporating an active lifestyle into daily routines e.g. walking or biking to the shops everyday instead of using the car for big weekly shops, or walking to school instead of driving.

Children’s physical activity patterns have changed dramatically in recent years. Whereas energetic free play outdoors used to be the typical activity in childhood, such opportunities are now rare due to the availability of TV, video and computer games and largely because of parental fears about child safety. Sadly this has a restrictive effect on a child development and health.

Families and communities should work together with the government to embrace these changes and start to implement healthy lifestyle changes. Parents need to take responsibility and ownership for their own health and the health of their children.

Vita Clinics is committed to supporting the fight against obesity. Many of our patients tell us that once they have lost their excess weight, whether through our medical weight management treatments or as a result of weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass or gastric band, this has a positive impact on the rest of the family. Shopping and eating habits inevitably change, and where there are children in the house, they become more conscious of healthy eating and the importance of activity. This has to be a good thing!

Vita Clinics is not registered to treat children who are obese, but we are committed to the concept.

References
Choosing Health (2004) Dept of Health London
Every Child Matters (2004) Dept of Health London
Johannsen DL, Specker BL (2006)Influence of parents eating behaviours and child feeding practices on childrens weight status Obesity (silver spring) 14(3)431-9
Oliveira AM, Oliveira AC, Almeida MS, L Adan & Oliveira N (2007) Influences of the family nucleus on obesity in children from northeastern Brazil: a cross sectional study BMC Public health 7:235
Stein CJ & Colidtz GA (2004) The epidemic of obesity J Clin Endocrinol Metab 8:2522-2525

www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=718
www.wellspringcamp.co.uk

A recent study by scientists in Germany has found a ‘significant link’ between indebtedness and obesity. Victims of the credit crunch are more likely to struggle with a balanced diet than those who were not as badly affected.

Study leader Dr Eva Munster, from the University of Mainz, said: “The recent credit crunch will have health implications for private households. While income, education and occupational status are frequently used in definitions of socio-economic status, levels of debt are not usually considered.

“We’ve shown that debt can be associated with the probability of being overweight or obese, independent of these factors.”
The researches commented on the high price of healthy food and a tendency for people who are worried by debt to ‘comfort eat’.

Dr Munster added: “A person’s ability to pick and choose the food they eat often depends on the financial resources they have available.

“Energy-dense foods such as sweets or fatty snacks are often less expensive compared to food with lower energy density such as fruit or vegetables.”

On BBC1, there was a documentary called Fix My Fat Head, a video diary about an obese woman’s attempts to lose weight by addressing her ‘issues with food’ with the help of various counsellors.

On BBC3 was My Big Fat Wedding, documenting a pop star’s attempts to shift six stone before getting married.

Unfortunately, I was too late to tune into ITV’s The Biggest Loser, about assorted morbidly obese people trying to shed their bulk, but luckily the various satellite channels offered no fewer than seven documentaries about the world’s fattest mums, grans, teenagers and babies.

Programmes about obesity have become the new home improvement shows – the latest reality TV pornography.

Five years ago, it was impossible to escape the endless stream of shows telling us how to sell, improve or clean our houses.

Now, it’s impossible to turn on the box and not be faced with images of wobbling, dimpled flesh, tearful confessionals and grotesque obesity surgery.

Yes, it’s fair to say that fatties are big business – and the public is lapping it up. I admit I’ve found myself watching a documentary about the world’s fattest man – his 60-stone frame, how he eats six buckets of chicken for breakfast and has to be lifted with the aid of a whale sling.

But as I watch such tales of woe about how fat people just can’t beat this ‘disease’, I am aware that I am (excuse the pun) helping to feed the lucrative obesity business.

The real message of these programmes is that it’s OK to be life-threateningly overweight – it’ll get you on TV! – and that we should all try to be a bit more understanding and accept obesity as a modern-day ‘addiction’.

The question of personal responsibility doesn’t come into it. Everyone mutters ‘There, there’, but no one says: ‘Stop whining and go on a diet.’ I am 20lb overweight. My life isn’t at risk and I can still leave my home without having the roof removed.

The reason I am overweight is that I have big ‘issues’ with food: I put far too much of it in my mouth. My other ‘issue’ is that I don’t move my flabby backside nearly as much as I should.

I would love to be able to blame an unhappy childhood, low self-esteem or loneliness – as so many of the inadequate people who appear on these programmes do – but the reality is that I had a happy time as a child, I’m brimming with confidence and have an active social life. The reason I’m fat is that I’m a little greedy.

We are in the middle of an obesity epidemic and teenagers have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, yet these TV programmes are treating greed and lack of self-control as an illness.

Chicken pox, measles and flu are all diseases, because you can catch them – usually through no fault of your own. Since when did stuffing your face with junk food become an illness?

After dithering over the TV schedules, I decided to watch Fix My Fat Head, where the bright, funny, attractive – and very fat – journalist Hannah Jones set out to try to understand why she over-eats.

Shedding bulk: Contestants on the UK version of The Biggest Loser, which is one of many programmes about obesity

Well-meaning counsellors spoke endlessly about her ‘complicated relationship’ with food – presumably psychobabble for ‘gluttony and bone idleness’.

The psychologist was convinced Hannah must be using food as an emotional crutch to make up for an unhappy childhood, but it soon became clear she’d had an idyllic time growing up.

What was glaringly obvious to the viewer, but which none of the experts mentioned, was that Hannah ate chips with nearly every meal and piled her plate high with the sort of portion sizes that would keep a dozen hungry truckers full for a week.

She also got in her car for any journey longer than 100 yards. Mystery solved, Dr Watson.

If  obesity really is due to people having hard lives, then why is it a modern phenomenon?

Are we really meant to believe that today’s have-it-all generation has more to worry about than our grandparents and great-grandparents did at a time when obesity was rare?

The fatty industry is distorting our minds about something we all have the power to control, but choose not to.

Marilyn Monroe would turn in her grave if she could hear today’s size 22 teenagers describing themselves as ‘curvy’ – they are blissfully ignorant of the fact that a curve goes in and out, not just out.

Because of the culture we live in, where few people are forced to pay for their own failings, obese people know they don’t need to worry about dieting, understanding nutrition or exercising, because the NHS will pay for them to have a gastric band or stomach stapling.

One of the more shocking documentaries I watched recently showed a group of huge people attempting to gain even more weight in order to qualify for free surgery.

They filled their bulging bellies with doughnuts, cakes, curry and fizzy drinks to hit the 25- stone minimum required by their NHS trust.

Strangely, it never occurred to them to apply the same determination to dieting and send their weight in the opposite direction.

The Government estimates that by 2050, up to 90 per cent of children could be overweight, costing the taxpayer £50 billion a year – people who look after themselves will end up paying for fat people’s lack of self-control.

I have lost weight on several occasions and, yes, I always put it back on again when my resolve weakens. But when I set my mind to it, my success has been down to a winning formula of eating less and exercising more.

Never once have I thought of going to see a psychiatrist to address my relationship with food because I know my fat is my fault, and no one else’s. And the TV companies peddling obesity porn would do well to acknowledge that, too.

Source: Daily Mail

Vita Clinics are a specialist weight loss surgery clinic based in Birmingham providing weight management plans, gastric bypass surgery, gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, duodenal switch surgery, surgery rescue for patients who have gastric bands fitted and skin reduction services.

To get more information, to see whether obesity surgery is right for you or to book a free no obligation consultation with a Vita Clinics expert call 0800 849 4050 or fill in the enquiry form here.

She famously had a gastric band fitted round her stomach but Fern Britton’s husband has revealed his wife had another secret up her sleeve.

Tv chef Phil Vickery admitted last night that a gluten-free diet was another massive factor in Fern’s dramatic weight loss.

This Morning star Britton, 51, hit the headlines last year after it emerged that she had a gastric band fitted in a bid to lose weight.

She lost more than 3st and Phil says gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye and barley which is hard for the body to digest – is now rarely found in any of the couple’s meals.

Phil, who has written a book of gluten-free recipes, explained: “Fern has cut right back on carbohydrates and eats a really healthy diet now with loads of vegetables and fruit.

“She likes my cooking. Family meals are old-fashioned favourites, like cottage pie or chicken with lots of veg and salad.” Gluten is found in many processed foods as well as normal flour, which makes gluten-free baking difficult.

But after trial and error, Phil, 46, discovered how to do it with the help of a food technologist. In the book he even includes one of his wife recipes – Fern’s honeyed baked beans on mustard drop scones. He said they have a 70 per cent gluten-free diet and added: “No food is completely banned because saying ‘no’ simply makes you crave something. It’s all about moderation.”

Phil said a typical day would include fruit or porridge for breakfast, mozzarella salad for lunch and fish and vegetables for dinner. And he claims that alcohol, steak and chocolate are only a weekend treat.

Source: The Mirror

“I didn’t have that sense of urgency,” said the Pasadena, Md., woman.

But nine months later, doctors told Wagner her condition had worsened. She, too, now had Type 2 diabetes.

That scared her into action.

Now, two years later, the 55-year-old woman has slimmed down. She exercises regularly and her blood sugar levels are back in the healthy, normal range. Thanks to her success, she was able to avoid diabetes medication.

Diabetics like Wagner who manage to turn things around, getting their blood sugar under control — either escaping the need for drugs or improving enough to quit taking them — are drawing keen interest from the medical community.

This summer an American Diabetes Association task force will focus on this group of patients and whether they can be considered “cured.” Among the points of interest:

Morbid obesity refers to individuals who are 50 – 100% above their ideal body weight.

The best way to measure how healthy someone’s weight is in relation to their height is to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI).

It is calculated by taking their weight in kilograms divided by their height in metres squared (Weight (Kg) / Height (m2)).

Clinically, body weight and thus the extent of obesity is classified by using the BMI.

The following shows the internationally accepted criteria for BMI:

• BMI < 20 | Underweight

• BMI 20 – 25 | Ideal BMI

• BMI 25 – 29.9 | Overweight

• BMI 30 – 34.4 | Obese

• BMI 35 – 39.9 | Severe obesity

• BMI 40 – 49.9 | Morbid obesity

• BMI > 50 | Super obesity

The level of obesity correlates with differing levels of health risk.

Health risks associated with obesity:

Greatly increased risk

• Type 2 diabetes
• Gallbladder disease
• Insulin resistance
• Breathlessness
• Sleep apnoea
• High cholesterol

Moderately increased risk

• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Several of the common cancers

Slightly increased risk

• Some cancers
• Reproductive abnormalities
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Impaired fertility
• Lower back pain
• Anaesthetic complications

(Department of Health 2006)
Another way to calculate being overweight is by your waist measurement. Risks increase with a waist measurement of over 40 inches (102cm) in men and over 35 inches (88cm) in women.

For men, waist circumference of less than 94 cm is low, 94–102 cm is high and more than 102 cm is very high.

For women, waist circumference of less than 80 cm is low, 80–88 cm is high and more than 88 cm is very high.

Once a person reaches the level of morbid obesity, the weight causes quicker and more extensive damage to the body

Essentially obesity is caused when the number of calories consumed through eating is greater than the calories used in physical activity. The excess energy is stored by the body in the form of fat.

Morbid obesity is a complex medical disorder, however, and there are a number of other contributing factors:

• Genetics can be a key factor in understanding obesity and its causes. It has been proven that the chance of having morbid obesity is increased if other people in your family have the condition.

• It has also been suggested that psychological and environmental factors can influence weight gain. Psychological factors influence the way people eat, as well as what they eat. A number of people eat in response to certain emotions such as boredom, sadness, or anger.

• Environmental factors could include someone’s lifestyle behaviours, for example the way in which they cook food, the type of job they have and also whether they incorporate exercise within their day-to-day life.

• Another significant cause of obesity is an inability to understand what it is to be ‘full’. Most people are aware when they are full through eating because their stomach tells their brain it is full and to stop. However in some individuals there is a flaw in this process. By not identifying when the stomach is full, some individuals continue to consume more food. If they also carry out limited physical activity then this results in weight gain.

Consequences of morbid obesity
Severe and morbid obesity are hugely detrimental to overall health and wellbeing. As well the risk to general health, it can also lead to premature death.

Obesity is a 21st century epidemic. It has grown by 400% in the last 25 years and it is on trend to surpass smoking as the biggest killer in the UK. It costs the NHS >£4bn per year and is responsible for 18m sick days per year having a massive impact on the economy nationally as well as on the morbidity and mortality rates of the UK population.

Obesity is associated with a number of illnesses – it is thought that at least 45 health problems are directly related to a raised BMI. Several disease processes can arise directly as a result of morbid obesity (known as co-morbidities):

• You are 6 x more likely to develop gall bladder disease

• You are 5.6 x more likely to have a raised blood pressure

• Diabetes is 3.8 x more common in people who have a BMI >30

• Osteoarthritis is twice as likely

• Infertility, back problems and sleep disturbances are also common

• Life expectancy is shortened by <9years

• Common cancers are more likely

To get more information or to book a free no obligation consultation with our experts at one of our UK weight loss surgery centres call Vita Clinics on 0800 849 4050 or fill in our enquiry form here.

He explained that patients who access weight loss programmes, take anti-obesity drugs and even undergo Bariatric Surgery are unlikely to maintain their weight loss in the long term. This is supported by a growing amount of published research that shows clearly that patients must explore the root causes behind their eating behaviours. Mr Kendrick explained that in his 13 year experience of working with morbidly obese patients, unless they confronted the reasons and ‘personal demons’ behind their eating patterns and behaviours, they would never conquer their obesity and excessive eating, which he compared to other addictions such as alcohol and smoking.

Mr Kendrick explained that in some NHS Bariatric units, up to a quarter of surgery patients were presenting after 2-3 years with weight gain because they originally had not been psychologically assessed or had undergone psychological support to confront their eating behaviours. He explained that there was a national shortage of experienced Bariatric Psychologists.

He announced that Vita Clinics are planning to establish a university-accredited Psycho-behavioural training course for healthcare professionals to address this shortage and improve access to psychological assessment and support for morbidly obese patients.

Vita Clinics is a national weight management specialist that provides a range of weight management programmes (obesity surgery and non-surgical weight management programmes). The role of a Bariatric Psychologist is key to these treatments. To find out more, contact Vita Clinics on 0800 849 8450 and speak to one of our clinical specialists.

Alli is the first over-the-counter weight loss pill and has gone on sale in chemists across the UK this month. It’s actually not a new diet drug since the pill has been available here in the UK on prescription only for the last 10 years under the name “Xenical” (or Orlistat).

The over the counter Alli is half the strength of Xenical but manufactures claim the results are almost the same.

People need to be aware that they can’t just walk into a chemist and buy Alli off the shelf – pharmacists have a legal obligation to sell it correctly and therefore will want to assess you before you are allowed to buy the drug. You will be weighed and your height taken to work out your BMI – if your BMI is less than 28 the Pharmacist will not let you buy it. They will also want to have a chat to you about your current diet. You cannot buy Alli if you are under 18, pregnant or breast feeding.

One worry is that whenever a new “diet wonder pill” is launched there is a risk it will be abused by anorexics who want to speed up their weight loss. However Alli works on the food you eat (see below) so in theory there is no danger of this happening.

What is Alli and how does it work?
Alli is a weight loss aid suitable for adults with a BMI of 28 or more. The manufacturers claim that taking three Alli tablets a day with meals while following a low fat, low calorie diet and doing regular exercise will increase weight loss by up to 50% more than just willpower alone – so it shifts an extra pound for every two you manage to lose.

Alli costs £49.95 for a one month supply which works out at roughly £1.60 per day for the daily dose. You can also get a two week supply for £32.95. Each pack contains your capsules, an information leaflet and a container in which to keep your capsules. There is also a cook book you can buy for a further £14.99 which contains low fat, low calorie recipes.

Alli recommend that each person should take in roughly 1,400 calories per day and each meal should contain around 15 grams of fat. The manufacturers say you can take Alli for up to 6 months.

What is Vita Clinics’ view?
Xenical is a complex drug. The fat in the diet is broken down (digested) in the body into its simplest form so that it can be absorbed. The body does this with the help of enzymes called lipases. The excess fat or calories in the diet is thus absorbed by the body and stored as body fat. This results in weight gain.

When the previously prescribed dose of Orlistat has been taken with meals (120mg with each meal), it has been shown to attach itself to the lipases and block their action. This effect stops some of the fat in the diet from being digested (roughly 30% of the fat in the diet). The undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is excreted in the stool and therefore often causes significant diarrhoea. Significant weight loss does however not occur while patients have diarrhoea, as 70% of the fat ingested is still absorbed. Weight loss will be optimal if a patient reduces the fat in their food to the point where they stop having diarrhoea. This way the total number of calories consumed and absorbed will be reduced which results in weight loss.

We are not convinced that taking a half-strength dose will be effective. We suspect that people will still get the side effects without the weight loss! Clearly, further studies need to be independently carried out into the long term effects of this reduced dose.

We use weight loss drugs such as Xenical (at a ‘proper’ effective dose) as part of a medically supervised weight management programme. Patients need expert help from specialist Dieticians and Nurses to get the best effect from the drug by changing their diet and eating behaviour. Many patients will also need the support and help of a Bariatric Psychologist to explore why they over-eat and how to address the root causes in the long term. Without this, no diet pill, no matter how good, will work in the long term.

The weight loss journey is a slow and difficult process and Alli is not a wonder pill. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need expert help.

To find out how Vita Clinics can help, contact us on 0800 849 8050 and speak to a specialist Nurse or Dietician, or book a free consultation.

www.vitaclinics.co.uk

More and more patients are having to undergo invasive surgery and other procedures to remove the stones, which can cause excruciating pain and dangerous complications.

To read the full article click here.

These days, ‘modern life’ can mean that we’re a lot less active. With so many opportunities to watch TV or play computer games, and with so much convenience and fast food available, we don’t move about as much, or eat as well as we used to. Which means that 9 out of 10 kids today could grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies. This can cause life-threatening diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease – so it’s really important that we do something about it.

“You’ve taken the first step towards getting your kids eating well, moving more and living longer just by being here – so welcome to Change4Life!”

Visit Change4Life here to read more