Put Down That Twinkie and Back Away From The Table!

Tomorrow's "New England Journal of Medicine" will make the front pages of many if not most major newspapers. They are publishing two excellent studies which show that being overweight shortens life.

I have a different "take" on overweight and obesity because I'm a pediatrician and very few of my patients will decrease their French fry, burger and cheese intake to live to age eighty instead of sixty-five years. They're mostly thinking about next week or the big soccer game this weekend.

Overweight children almost never have a great day in school. The sensitivity index of children does not rise through grade school, middle school and high school. It actually drops and grade-by-grade more kids acquire hurtful nicknames.

Parents and other adults will respond at least a little to these latest unsurprising stories. My request is that help our kids by not buying them nutritional garbage.

By the way, I received many comments about my simple ADD med post including one saying , "My hunch is that this article was written by someone who has not suffered from ADD and depression."

Well, while I am fortunate enough to not suffer from depression I certainly do have (unmedicated) adult ADD. Left unsaid in my previous post was how well many of us teens and adults learn to manage ADD. A great organized wife, and office staff to herd me keeps me nearly on time . . .

In the meantime, I also agree with the comment, "Believe it or not, some children with very involved and concerned parents still need these drugs to be successful." But I truly believe that very few doctors, parents and school systems explore nutritional and behavioral alternatives in treating ADD and other childhood issues.

And, yes, I am a pediatrician and I have cared for children and families for twenty-seven years.

JNG MD

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