A little effort goes a long way when it comes to weight loss. And that goes for your kids, as well. A new study examined the consequences of family health programs on very obese children. They found that even modest weight loss had significant health benefits.
According to the researchers, there hasn’t been much research done on these kinds of programs for severely obese children.
“Modest weight loss is associated with real health benefits. That’s the take-home message, it’s worth doing,” says Dr. Marsha D. Marcus of the University of Pittsburgh, one of the authors of the study.
The study examined children in the upper one percentile of obese children. Most weight loss was modes – just five to 20 percent of the excess weight that they carried. But what they got out of it was a significant reductions in their waist size, and systolic blood pressure.
The downside was that once the children left the intervention program, they returned to their previous weight pretty quickly – less than a year.
Dr. Marcus asserts that the only way the childhood obesity crisis can be reversed is through a synergistic approach on all levels of society – families, schools, health policy makers, and the rest of the community.
(via: Yahoo)