Cool Article:
Lustig RH, The ’skinny’ on childhood obesity: how our western environment starves kids’ brains. Pediatric Annals [Pediatr Ann] 2006 Dec; Vol. 35 (12), pp. 898-902, 905-7
Dr. Lustig, of the University of California at San Francisco’s Center for Obesity Assessment, is a pediatrician writing to pediatricians. He describes how America has become insulin-driven. Insulin’s normal function is to allow muscle and body cells to take up glucose from the blood, but Lustig outlines the result of a system imbalance, particularly that of a consistently high intake of sugar – even if total calories are in balance. In this case, when a child has become insulin-resistent, a smaller percentage of the glucose is accepted into the cells, leaving more of it to go directly into fat production. Leptin (a hormone responsible for feeling “full”) is suppressed, and the child now has fewer energy molecules at ready disposal as opposed to in fat stores. The child feels hungry, although he ate plenty of food, and thus begins the savage spiral. His body and brain think they are starving, as more and more glucose is denied them, and the child’s behavior begins to change — to become more sluggish and lethargic, eating more and moving less.
I thought Dr. Lustig’s ultimate point was beautifully stated. Here is just the end of the abstract – I don’t dare summarize it!
Thus, the vicious cycle of gluttony, sloth, and obesity is promulgated. Is this personal responsibility, when a kid’s brain thinks it’s starving? Is it personal responsibility when the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends juice for toddlers? Is it personal responsibility when the Women, Infant and Children program subsidizes fruit juice but not fruit? Is it personal responsibility when the first ingredient in the barbecue sauce is high-fructose corn syrup? Is it personal responsibility when high-fiber fresh produce is unavailable in poor neighborhoods? Is it personal responsibility when the local fast food restaurant is the only neighborhood venue that is clean and air-conditioned? Is it personal responsibility when in order to meet the criteria for No Child Left Behind, the school does away with physical education class? Is it personal responsibility when children are not allowed out of the house to play for fear of crime? We must get the insulin down. Fixing the “toxic environment” by altering the food supply and promoting physical activity for all children can’t be done by government, and won’t be done by Big Food. This will require a grassroots, bottom-up effort on the part of parents and community leaders. We as pediatricians must lead the way.
This article was not meant to be a primary study, but a call to action, and I hope more people than a few pediatricians take heed.
