Childhood Obesity starts with Formulas?

Last week’s blog regarding the New York Times article citing bypass surgery for children set off a raw nerve with readers.  Childhood obesity is multi-factorial but can it actually start with the first bottle of formula?

One ingredient to avoid on food labels is high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup.  Many infant formulas list this ingredient as second or third.  Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF, gave an elaborate lecture on you-tube regarding the consequences of sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  He blew the whistle on the obesity epidemic starting with corn syrup in infant formulas.

Many women are unable to breastfeed for multiple reasons.  A few years ago some of my female clients turned to me for help in selecting an appropriate formula.  After spending many hours online and in the store I only found one or two formulas that came close to something I would recommend.

Besides corn syrup in cow-based formulas there even more issues with soy formulas since they are made with soy protein isolate (SPI).  To make SPI, manufactures take soybeans that are about 90 percent genetically modified, and mix them with a solution to remove the fiber.  This fiber-less soybean is then dried at high temperatures which denature the quality of the protein.  In addition, soy acts like a pseudo-estrogen in the body and it is estimated that an infant fed soy formula receives the amount of estrogen per day in at least 5 birth control pills – not such a great start to life.

Formula makers are now supplementing with the important omega-3 fats DHA and EPA to help the baby’s brain development.  However, the sources of these essential fats can be poor or contain inadequate amounts.

It might be time to demand infant formula makers to make a change-maybe the first step needed in Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity.  Women receive cases of these formulas free in the hospital to encourage usage, unknowingly feeding their babies something which could influence their future health.  It’s time we started preventing obesity from the beginning – rather than prescriptions later.

Change your Real Age

I heard Dr. Micheal Roizen a few weeks back at a conference who gave a very positive and informative lecture.  Dr. Roizen is the co-author with Dr. Memhet Oz of You on a Diet, besides authoring multiple other books and being the former editor of six major medical journals.  He is now chief wellness officer of the Cleveland Clinic and spoke of all the amazing changes he has put into place while being there including having a farmer’s market and garden on site,  making smoking off limits within the medical complex and ridding all hospital menus and vending machines of products containing trans fat.

Dr. Roizen stated 4 things can control your Real Age – the age your body thinks it is – rather than what your genes are coded to be.  The 4 things include tobacco, food choices and portion sizes, physical activity and stress.  If these 4 things are modified to health you can actually CHANGE your genes and your family history.  In fact, when changes are implemented your genes actually sense you are making a change within 2 weeks before your body makes changes.

Therefore, eating a healthy diet full of real unprocessed foods combined with regular activity, controlling stress as much as possible and not smoking can change your genes, lower your real age, decrease disease and increase longevity.  He believes if these changes are implemented people will start to live to be 120-150 years old.  This is great news!  Reasonable lifestyle changes make a huge difference in living longer healthier lives and may be simpler than you think.

Start by trying to buy foods on the periphery of the grocery store, walking half an hour a day and doing 5-10 minutes of stretching.  Sleep 15 minutes more.  The next week add one more reasonable change and soon you will see how much more energy and vitality you have.  The small changes will soon pay a large dividend - better odds than the current stock market.