Poor, Obese and Unhealthy into the 21st Century

(The Real Agenda News) Over 40 million Children are obese according to the latest numbers.

Childhood obesity is not just a problem of rich countries. In fact, it is much less so in wealthy nations.

According to the World Health Organization, of the 42 million children under five who are overweight in the world, 35 million, or 83%, are part of middle and low-income families.

“It’s an explosive nightmare,” says the World Health Organization (WHO), which has advanced data from the Commission to End Childhood Obesity; a body that was established two years ago.

Apart from the figures, the WHO is concerned about childhood development. For example, in Africa, the number of obese and overweight children under five years of age has nearly doubled since 1990, according to this study.

Obesity problems go beyond the scale and into degenerative diseases that are the result of being overweight, obese and morbidly obese.

The consequences of these diseases are now much more prevalent in so-called developed countries, where the crisis is not one of undernutrition due to lack of food, but of malnutrition due to the consumption of fast food.

Going Beyond Malnutrition

In poor countries, malnutrition is not the only problem.

There are more cases of diseases such as dengue, cholera, tuberculosis and AIDS, to name but a few. It is also important to remember that the third world also suffers from high incidence of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and traffic accidents, not to mention other causes of death that were once characteristic of rich countries.

The report, whose data are not yet completed, has drawn the first conclusion: “It is not the child’s fault,” said the co-chair of the commission, Peter Gluckman.

According to the data from the WHO, in 2014, 48% of all obese and overweight children lived in Asia, and 25% in Africa.

“The region where the problem is so alarming and where t is fast growing is Asia,” warned Gluckman.

Among the factors behind the increase in childhood obesity figures include biological factors, the environment and, of course, food intake.

The report also includes other issues such as inadequate access to health services, decreased physical activity in schools and the deregulation of fattening foods.

Any solution to the exploding obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive and coordinated response, the report indicates.

Is being Obese a matter of Genetic Predisposition?

Gluckman has explained that it has been detected that Asian children have a specific metabolism that makes them retain fat in the abdominal part of the body, the area surrounding vital organs, exactly where it is most harmful to health.

“We are studying why, but it is a very dangerous development because that fat is installed long before the external and the child shows signs of overweight and obesity on the outside,” he explained.

With regard to Latin America, it is estimated that the prevalence of overweight children in the region stands at 8% in children under five.

Gluckman has pointed out that Latin American leaders are well aware of the problem and are seriously responding, and noted that many countries are directing their policies in the right direction.

“Keep in mind that obesity impacts the quality of life of children, affecting their physical, psychological state, their ability to study, to relate, and will put many barriers in life, so we must urgently deal with this matter,” said Sania Sishtar, the co-chair of the commission.

In addition, Sishtar has warned that childhood obesity is a major factor in the possibility of developing obesity during adulthood and, consequently, major noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease.

In this situation, the study’s authors expect the WHO Executive Board, meeting this week in Geneva at its 138 edition, to note and suggest to the World Health Assembly to adopt a resolution urging countries to implement measures to fight obesity.

Among them, the report recommends educating children, parents, teachers, and leaders about the importance of eating healthy food and reducing the intake of sugars and fats. It is also necessary to promote physical activity and reduce sedentarism.

In extreme cases of adult obesity in women, the report suggests that they enter into programs that help prevent diabetes for them and their future children, since many cases of obesity may be related to what happened during the months of pregnancy.

The post Poor, Obese and Unhealthy into the 21st Century appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

How Unhealthy Is White Flour?

White flour is common enough that you’ve probably consumed it at some point in your life. Just because it’s common, however, doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact, it has a number of downsides and negative effects on your health. Take your pick — an overall lack of nutrients, highly-refined carbohydrates, or the gluten.

What is White Flour?

White flour is wheat flour that has been stripped of two main components–the bran and the germ. ^[1] The bran provides the fiber that is typically found in the whole grain, but when it is taken out of the wheat flour it creates a softer, lighter texture. This is why, if you’ve ever replaced white flour for whole-wheat flour, the final product is often heavier and denser. That’s the fiber and the added weight of the other components missing from white flour. The trouble is, the light and airy texture of the bread is fairly descriptive of its nutritional quality as well–light, airy, and vapid.

The Health Effects of White Flour

Proper nutrition plays an important role in reducing disease risk, especially when it comes to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Even if you’re eating a healthy diet, however, white flour raises your risk for diabetes as well as many other preventable diseases. ^[2] Research even shows that folic acid, commonly added to white flour to fortify the refined grain, can lead to deleterious effects on breast health. ^[3] Our bread addiction is what is really driving disease progression in the developed world. One study has shown that even if you’re consuming a healthy diet, eating white flour can influence addictive eating behavior. ^[4]

White Flour is Heavily Processed

The production of white flour involves stripping away of the most nutritional aspects of the grain: the germ and the bran. It also includes the addition of lost B vitamins and iron, and bleaching it with a chemical bleaching agent to make it appear bright white. The flour itself is devoid of the fiber which aids in passing easily through the large intestine. A person following a diet that regularly includes eating white flour as well as sugar (fructose, primarily), or products made with the ingredients, increases their chances for weight gain, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. ^[5]

White Flour May Be Hiding in Your Wheat Bread

Wheat bread is usually touted as a more healthy alternative, but that’s little more than marketing speak at work. Most wheat breads contain “wheat” as the first ingredient; however, this term, without the “whole grain” designation preceding it, translates into refined, white flour. The color is typically added coloring to give the guise of whole wheat. Real whole wheat flour includes the terms “whole wheat flour” on both the packaging labeling and the ingredients label.

Go Wheat Free

Instead of trying to find whole wheat or whole-grain wheat, why not simply replace wheat altogether with more nutrient dense gluten-free alternatives? There are a number of alternative grains that don’t contain any gluten. And, let’s face it, gluten is a big problem and contributes to a lot of current health problems.

Do you avoid eating white flour? Wheat? What have been your experiences? Please let us know in the comments below!

References:

1. Satya S. Jonnalagadda, Lisa Harnack, Rui Hai Liu, et al. Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated with Qhole Grains–Summary of American Society for Nutrition 2010 Satellite Symposium. J Nutr. 2011 May; 141(5): 1011S-1022S.


2. Sylvia H. Ley, Osama Hamdy, Viswanathan Mohan, Frank B. Hu. Prevention and management of type 2 diabetes: dietary components and nutritional strategies. The Lancet. 2014; 383 (9933): 1999 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60613-9.


3. Shaidah Deghan Manshadi, Lisa Ishiguro, Kyoung-Jin Sohn, et al. Folic Acid Supplementation Promotes Mammary Tumor Progression in a Rat Model. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (1): e84635. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084635.


4. University of Michigan. Want pizza, chocolate, French fries? Highly processed foods linked to addictive eating. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2015.


5. Faridah Amin and Anwar H. Gilani. Fiber-free white flour with fructose offers a better model of metabolic syndrome. Lipids Health Dis. 2013; 12: 44. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-12-44.

The post How Unhealthy Is White Flour? appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.