Monitoring BMI In Children Today Could Lead To Better Health

In a new study published by the American Heart Association, it is suggested that infants who gain weight rapidly during their first week may be more likely to have weight problems later in life. This study has led to a recommendation to monitor Body Mass Index (BMI) readings in children in an effort to fight obesity through heightened awareness.

According to the American Heart Association, about 15% of children are overweight and obese. This measure is up from 5% in the 1980s. Children measuring in the top 5th percentile of BMI should be considered overweight, however this measure is not necessarily an automatic recommendation for severe diet changes, which may be especially harmful for children. As a child develops further, these measures can change without changes to diet.

Children falling between 80% and 95% are considered "at-risk" and should be monitored further.

As obesity rates continue to rise in the US, studies like these continue to gain in importance. As the child develops, potential health risks may be prevented through early awareness and lifestyle management. How this may impact cardiovascular disease and Type II Diabetes rates will likely require many years to measure.

Of course, all of these recommendations should be factored in with education and support for improved lifestyle and diet. Given the pressures of youth, it is important to not stigmatize a child and foster eating problems and poor self-image where the body mass problems may have been associated more simply with poor, and uneducated, dietary choices and insufficient physical activity.

Dave Saunders is a certified nutritional educator, wellness coach, member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education (AIANE) and author. He is also the host of a weekly, nation-wide telephone lecture on health and nutrition. For additional information, please visit http://www.glycoboy.com or http://www.glycowellness.com or email Dave at dave@glycoboy.com

In The News:

As Earth's tectonic plates dive beneath one another, they drag three times as much water into the planet's interior as previously thought.

Computer scientists have used various editions of The Bible to develop an algorithm that identifies different author’s writing styles, Inside Science reported.

Two great white sharks were located off the coast of North Carolina this week after the massive predators traveled more than a thousand miles from Canada to reach the coastal waters.

They may sound cute, but they could cause a "giant-sized problem."

Archaeologists have uncovered cave drawings in eastern France that are more than 12,000 years old, but were hidden for hundreds of years under graffiti from the 16th to 19th centuries.

OAKFIELD, N.Y. (AP) — Cows that can withstand hotter temperatures. Cows born without pesky horns. Pigs that never reach puberty.

A massive mola mola sunfish was confused for shark during an open water race in North Carolina on Saturday.

An enormous crater, measuring 19 miles in diameter, has been officially found in Greenland, hidden under the ice. The find was likely caused by an asteroid that hit the Earth "less than 3 million years ago," and is said to have "rocked the Northern Hemisphere."

If you're experiencing a spell of bad luck, many people may ask you the same question: is Mercury in retrograde?

The mummified bodies of three climbers who went missing 59 years ago on Mexico’s highest volcano have been recovered by an army unit.

Monitoring BMI In Children Today Could Lead To Better Health

Nutrition Nutrition