Obese teenagers risk kidney failure in later life, study warns

Omniscient epidemiologists again -- who "just know" that correlation is causation:  Childish.  And note that the ailment is extremely rare anyway ("2.87 cases per 100,000 person-years") so is of slight concern even if the conjectures of the mental infants below are correct.  The article is "Body Mass Index in 1.2 Million Adolescents and Risk for End-Stage Renal Disease" by Asaf Vivante et al.

Overweight and obese teenagers are putting themselves at risk of kidney failure later in life, researchers say.

They found the youngsters had between six and 19 times greater risk of developing end-stage renal disease within 25 years.

ESRD occurs when the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood. Those with the disease often need dialysis until an organ transplant can be performed.

Children and adolescents with high body mass index often become obese adults, who have a higher risk of various chronic conditions such as diabetes.

A team from the Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Hashomer in Israel found overweight 17-year-olds had six times the risk for developing diabetic ESRD while obese 17-year-olds had 19 times the risk for developing the condition.

The researchers looked at the medical records of 1.2 million 17 years olds between January 1967 and December 1997.

Dr Asaf Vivante said: 'In this long-term nationwide population-based study, overweight and obesity at age 17 years were strongly and positively associated with the incidence of future treated ESRD, although the absolute risk for ESRD remains low.'

The study found 713 men and 161 women developed treated ESRD for an overall incidence rate of 2.87 cases per 100,000 person-years during more than 30 million follow-up person-years.

Compared to normal-weight adolescents, those adolescents who were overweight and obese had an increased future risk for treated ESRD, with incidence rates of 6.08 and 13.40 cases per 100,000 person-years respectively.

Dr Vivante said: 'Although the results for diabetic ESRD were remarkable, with risks increasing six-fold and 19-fold among overweight and obese adolescents, respectively, our results also indicate a substantial association between elevated BMI and nondiabetic ESRD.'

Commenting on the findings Dr Kirsten Johansen of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center said: 'The association of obesity with ESRD is good news and bad news.

'The good news is that obesity represents a potentially modifiable risk factor, and control of weight and the hypertension and inactivity that often accompany excess adiposity could prevent or slow the development of some cases of ESRD and may potentially reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic kidney disease.

'The bad news is that it is not easy to address obesity.

'Although there is no evidence that it is ever too late to improve outcomes by increasing physical activity or shedding excess weight, the results reported by Dr Vivante highlight the potential advantages of starting early before chronic disease has developed and unhealthy lifestyles have become lifelong habits.'

SOURCE







Woman proves "5 a day" fruit & veg. requirement is just a political myth

A 54-year-old mother who claims she has never eaten a piece of fruit of tried a green vegetable, says she will only consume three types of food: white breads, including pancakes; milk and potato-based chips.

Marla Lopez, who also sometimes eats bacon, blames her basic daily diet on being an adult picky eater - something that scientists believe to be a 'real food related disorder'.

The New York City mother-of-one told Good Morning America: 'It's a texture issue... the snack aisle has become my dinner aisle.'  She says her picky eating started as an infant, when would gag on her baby food.

Her favorite food is potato chips, because they are 'so salty, and fresh, and potato-y. I love them,' she said.

Many foods that people usually look forward to, like an omelette for brunch, a sandwich for lunch, or spaghetti pasta, actually repulse her.  Instead, her daily diet is made up primarily of milk and ice cream; white breads, including crackers, tortillas and pancakes; and potatoes, including chips and French fries.

While some people think Ms Lopez uses the term 'picky eater' as an excuse to eat junk food, Psychology Today believes her diet is actually a medical condition.

The magazine wrote: 'Certain aspects of picky eating resemble known disorders - the concern with texture could be a sign of a sensory processing disorder.  'Picky eaters do score higher than others on tests of anxiety.'

Nancy Zucker, the director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, who studies picky eaters, agrees.

She said: 'We don’t quite understand what adult picky eating is... but what we do know is that there is a real biological struggle going on that’s not all in their heads.'

When it comes to fresh produce, Ms Lopez said, 'When I look at this, I don’t see food. I would no sooner eat any of this, than I would your shoe.'

And despite her vegetable-free, and nutritionally-low diet, Ms Lopez argues that she is healthy.  'My cholesterol is 174, and I eat a bag of fries each day, and that’s my main staple,' she said.

According to the American Heart Association, a cholesterol level less than 200 mg/dL is desirable, while a cholesterol reading of more than 200 mg/dL raises the risk of coronary heart disease.

Ms Lopez said she finds her limited preferred foods 'embarrassing,' but added, 'I do love what I eat and enjoy it.'

She said she often hides her eating habits at parties, instead telling friends she has already eaten.

SOURCE