Childhood Obesity
Chubby Babies
Almost every day I hear from parents or grandparents who are concerned because they feel that the babies they love just aren't getting enough to eat. They try to coax them to take just a few more ounc…
Couch Potatoes & Screen Potatoes Unpeeled
There's good news and bad news. Dramatically good and dramatically bad. Duke University announced on May 28, 2003 the results of their 5-year randomized study on body fat. Two kinds of body fat accumu…
Obesity: The Yogurt Solution
Dr. Greene's take on yogurt and obesity... In an effort to stay slim, many teenage girls forgo dairy products in favor of diet sodas. Ironically, research shows that calcium is important for maintaini…
Childhood Obesity and Quality of Life
We hear in the news that the percentage of American children who are obese has doubled in the last twenty years, and that the rate of increase continues to rise. Today about 1 in 7 children are obese …
Children Need More Play!
We know that active play improves school performance, concentration, mood and behavior. We know that obesity in children in skyrocketing. HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's report, "Physical Activity F…
Gastric Bypass Surgery for Kids
In a bold article called Childhood Obesity: A New Pandemic of the New Millennium, published in the November 2000 issue of Pediatrics, the authors chronicle how the obesity problem has become so severe…
Whole Grains Help
Parents need to know that white bread vs. whole wheat is not a trivial question. Whether or not children eat whole grains could have a major impact on their health. The current epidemic of childhood o…
Cardiovascular Health in Children
Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the United States, killing about half a million people each year. Coronary heart disease used to be thought of as a disease of the middle aged and the el…
Breastfeeding Drops Risk of Obesity
Childhood obesity rates continue to climb. However, babies who are breastfed have a 30 percent drop in their risk of obesity, according to a study published in the June 8, 2002 issue of The Lancet. Th…
Obesity and Diabetes in Children
Twenty five percent of obese children are already glucose intolerant and at high risk for developing diabetes, according to a Yale University study published in the March 14, 2002 New England Journal …
Physical Activity Guidelines for Babies through Teens
As parents, it's our job to teach our kids about the wonders of the great outdoors. It's also important to keep them healthy and safe so they can get the most out of their outdoor experiences. Dr. Gre…
The Link Between Parental Smoking, Obesity, and Diabetes
When mothers smoke during pregnancy, their choice may affect the children for the rest of their lives. The January 5, 2002 issue of the British Medical Journal reports an analysis of 17,000 births dur…
Blood Pressure, the Time is Now.
Parents of overweight teens often feel reassured that the youth and vitality of their children protects them from the harm of being overweight, at least until they are older. Looking for another reaso…
Exercise Guidelines Out of Touch?
Experts agree that this is the most sedentary generation of children in history. Computers, television, video games, and long hours seated at school combine to decrease children's activity. (more&hell…
Breast-Feeding and Obesity: What’s the Real Deal?
Dr. Greene explores contradictory studies about breastfeeding and obesity... It can be demoralizing when you get contradictory information about health. Two studies in the May 16th, 2001 issue of The …
Children, Exercise and Parks
We are raising the most sedentary generation of children in human history. However, a study published in the April 2001 issue of the American Journal of Public Health offers real, practical hope. Chil…
Is your child overweight, underweight?
Is your child overweight? Underweight? A study in the July 2000 issue of Pediatrics shows us that, at least when it comes to teens, both parents and children are surprisingly poor at judging appropria…
Teen Obesity Reaching Epidemic Proportions!
Obesity among teens has become a major epidemic. More teens are overweight now than at any time in history. A January 2000 report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the…
Fast Facts about Diabetes
A fasting blood sugar at or above 126 mg/dL or a random blood sugar at or above 200 mg/dL is diagnostic of diabetes, according to the official American Diabetes Association definition. (more…)…
Watching Television Causes Asthma?!
We know that kids who have asthma are more likely to be overweight. But is it that kids with asthma exercise less, and so become overweight - or is it that obesity can trigger asthma? (more…)…