Make sure to read this eye-opening article from Annie Murphy Paul in today’s New York Times Magazine about how researchers are looking into programming babies’ metabolism to set in motion a permanent resistance to gaining weight.
But Michael Cawthorne, director of metabolic research at the Clore Laboratory at Britain’s University of Buckingham, and his colleagues are, as Paul puts it, “trying to develop a baby formula with an astonishing property: to turn newborns into those enviable people who can eat what they want without getting fat.”
Yikes! I just shudder at the thought of an anti-obesity baby formula!
Paul’s conclusion is an extremely articulate and very sad reflection of our junk food-laden environment:
“Remaking the age-old survival mechanisms of the human body appears, to some, more feasible than altering the environment humans have created. Oceans of soda, mountains of baked goods and sparkling glaciers of ice cream are now a permanent part of our landscape, and it may be easier to change us than them.:
4 thoughts on “Anti-Obesity Infant Formula? Oh Goodness!”
Nice post.
We’ve a real problem with obesity.
In May of 2002, the World Health Organization announced a rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Remarkably, this occurred not only in affluent developed nations but also among developing nations in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, where malnutrition was once the major dietary issue.
Obesity in the developing world can be seen as a result of a series of changes in diet, physical activity, health and nutrition, collectively known as the ‘nutrition transition.’ As poor countries become more prosperous, they acquire some of the benefits along with some of the problems of industrialized nations. These include obesity.
Since urban areas are much further along in the transition than rural ones, they experience higher rates of obesity. Cities offer a greater range of food choices, generally at lower prices. Urban work often demands less physical exertion than rural work. And as more and more women work away from home, they may be too busy to shop for, prepare and cook healthy meals at home. The fact that more people are moving to the city compounds the problem. In 1900, just 10 percent of the world population inhabited cities. Today, that figure is nearly 50 percent.
Do infants can also get infected by obesity??
My son is 6 months old and weighs 23 lbs. 8 oz. and is 28″ long. What do I do? Help me please.
Note from Connie: Rhetta, I feel your pain. It’s really tough to help you out on a blog here. I believe that your best option is to find a pediatrician who can discuss various options with you. I’m truly sorry that I can’t be of more help.
America Obesity
If you would like to learn more about the food revol
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