Childhood obesity hits plateau

[THE BOUNCER]

Childhood obesity, which has been on the rise for more than two decades, appears to have hit a plateau, a potentially significant development in the battle against excessive weight gain among children.

But the finding, based on survey data gathered from 1999 to 2006 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was greeted with guarded optimism.

It is not clear whether the lull in childhood weight gain is permanent or even if it is the result of public anti-obesity efforts to limit junk food and increase physical activity in schools. Doctors noted that even if the trend held up, 32 percent of U.S. schoolchildren remained overweight or obese, representing an entire generation that will be saddled with weight-related health problems as it ages.

"After 25 years of extraordinarily bad news about childhood obesity, this study provides a glimmer of hope," said Dr. David Ludwig, director of the childhood obesity program at Children's Hospital in Boston. "But it's much too soon to know whether this is a true plateau in prevalence or just a temporary lull."

Full Story: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_9400748

[SonofBone]

Interesting that studies are now showing that today's children have a shorter life span than folks in their 20's & 30's. It'll be interesting to see if & when diets become cleaner...or will some new medicine prevent the storage of excess calories.