Nutrition - Ask and Answer - Characteristics of Life - Essay Example

QUESTION: DOES DIETARY TREATMENTS REDUCE OBESITY IN CHILDREN? This research study interrogates the ways in which people can live longer and healthier lives. Our present health depends largely upon our previous dietary habits and healthcare. According to Juncosa (2008), only one in every 10,000 people reaches the age of 100 years in the US. About 60,000 are in the US alone with only 70 individuals having attained the age of 100 or above. They are known to have no associated disabilities. Obesity is one of the known causes of heath problems that hinder one from reaching old age.

This research concentrates on assessing the effect of dietary treatments on simple obesity among children. The increasing adipose folds among children constitute a major health problem. A study was carried out to find out the role of nutritional factors in relation to simple obesity in children. SOURCE The following hypotheses were formulated: First, simple obesity among children is affected by the following environmental factors: educational levels of parents, familial inclination to obesity, and other health patterns.

Secondly, a diet with low energy component and low glycemic index results into body mass loss. Thirdly, dietary treatment will involve change in the body mass, reduction in skin thickness and adipose folds, scapula, BMI, body fat content and waist hip ratio. Lastly, administration of dietary treatment will affect biochemical indicators like lipid profiles (Rozwoj, 2006). A sample size of 236 children with known simple obesity from Mazowsze region was used. The research was carried out by Gastroentorogical and Endocrinological Unit of the Institute of Mother and Child for10 weeks.

Nutritional state was analyzed on the principle of investigating. Eight essential features and five anthropometric parameters were used besides common biochemical indicators for carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Evaluation was done prior to and after the commencement of the study. Studies were carried out on nutrition that comprised eating habits, composition of food, and the constituent nutritional content of food given daily covering a period of 10-14 for every child prior to the dietary treatment and 3 random days after.

Collection of data on environmental factors was administered by a questionnaire (Rozwoj, 2006).INFORMATION SUMMARY It was found that environmental factors constituted major risk to obesity. A relationship was established between a normalized BMI z-score with respect to environmental factors which included paternal obesity (Chi (2) test with p-value less than 0.05). Also a positive correlation was found between relative BMI z-score and the anthropometrical factors. No distortions in carbohydrate metabolism were established except for fats (Rozwoj, 2006).

The dietary treatment contained less glycemic and energy content. This had a remarkable effect on the rate of lipid metabolism among all the children that had earlier been diagnosed with irregularities. However, this dietary treatment did not have a noticeable impact on 95% of children aged between 3-6 years. This dietary treatment resulted in a reasonable decrease in the BMI, skin thickness, folds of adipose in the arm, scapula, the abdomen, and body fat and arm circumference. Therefore, simple obesity is correlated with environmental and familial factors including, but not limited to, poor eating habits.

Moreover, Dietary treatment significantly reduced obesity especially among 7-15 year olds due to its low fats and carbohydrates (Rozwoj, 2006).COMMENTS This research will have far reaching ramifications in the health sector given the increasing high rates of obesity among children. A recommended dietary composition will go a long way in reversing the health risks like diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Future research in the topic should expand on the sample space beyond the 246 used to fully ascertain the impact of dietary treatments on the obesity not only among children but expanded to include the teens and the elderly.

This will help us understand if past dietary composition have any bearing on our current and future health. This study did not however investigate the likely effect on children with developed obese condition.ReferencesRozwoj, W. (2006). Simple Obesity in Children, Study on the role of nutritional factors. Pubmed. 10(1): 3-191. Retrieved 9th March 2009 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16733288?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmedJuncosa, B. (2008). Centenarians Studied to Find the Secret of Longevity: Scientific American.

Retrieved 8th March 2009 from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=centarians-studied-to-find-the-secret-of-longevity