Fighting the War Against Obesity If not us, then who? overweight/obesity rates have reached a critical point with respect to their influence on health, and risk for future illness, and subsequent expense to the already spi- ralling costs to the health-care system. The next generation may be the fi rst that does not outlive its parents if morbidity and mortality estimates are accurate.1 R ecent headlines and r search have suggested that both childhood and adult Many within the health- care system have previously recognized this phenomenon but, for too long, most health- care professionals have ignored this silent killer.2 Creeping obesity has been a known and accepted development associated with aging. Consider that a modest one-to-two pound increase annually from the age of 20 manifests as a 20-40-pound weight gain by the age of 40! The alarming trend here though, is the rate of obesity in children and adolescents. What was previously a relatively stable prevalence of less than 10 per cent of this population is approaching 40 per cent – a trend that has accelerated over the past 15 to 20 years.3 Is it our diet, our activity levels, our predisposition with everything Dr. David Anderson holds a BSc in human kinetics from the Univer- sity of Guelph,1980.He graduated from CMCC in 1986 and obtained his FCCSS(C) in 1995.He is a Level II (NCCP) football coach,has coached rep football for the past 12 years, is also a Level III trainer in hockey and has been trainer and coach for a variety of teams for 10 years. electronic and/or automated? The simple answer is “yes” to all of the above. We have shifted our diets from predominantly whole foods to food products while insisting that children 0.7 kilometers or more from their schools get bused. We program our kids into regulated, supervised – and limited – physical activities, but allow unlimited television and computer time. While this may be an oversimplifi cation of the problem, it is the crux of what is happening with today’s younger population. WHY BE CONCERNED ABOUT OBESITY? Rehabilitation researchers and clinicians alike have listed obesity as a risk factor for car- diovascular disease for many years now. Obesity has a negative impact on cardiovascular health and is associated with elevated cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Additionally chronic conditions including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and Type 2 diabetes are only a few of the increasingly ubiquitous disease states costing ever-increas- ing amounts to our already overburdened health-are system.4,5,6 Estimates suggest close to 50 per cent of the North American population may be at risk for Type 2 diabetes – the ominous metabolic syndrome or syndrome X – primary causes of which include obesity and poor lipid profiles. THE ROLES OF MOTION, MEALS AND MEDS Physical activity and balanced nutrition have been shown conclusively to reduce each of these risk factors and improve the state of all of these conditions.7,8,9,10 More importantly, 38 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | SEPTEMBER 2008 physical activity, when maintained from a young age throughout adulthood, can prevent www.canadianchiropractor.ca David Anderson, BSc, DC feature
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