DIET COLUMN

Obesity rates for children are out of control. About a third of American children are overweight and one-fifth are obese.

I think most people are aware of this news, since it’s been reported for quite some time. But if you need even more convincing of the gravity of the situation, check this out: doctors are finding that obese children (as young as 10) have the arteries of 45-year-olds! There have also been other heart abnormalities found that greatly raise their risk of heart disease.

Dr. Geetha Raghuveer, of Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, and her colleagues used painless ultrasound tests to measure the thickness of the wall of a major neck artery in 70 children, ages 10 to 16. Almost all had abnormal cholesterol and many were obese.

The kids’ “vascular age” was about 30 years older than their actual age, Raghuveer said.

So, next time you see a young kid who is “chubby,” don’t just think it’s baby fat. Some will turn out OK (actor Jerry O’Connell, above, is one famous example), but as this study shows, they could be compromising their future health.

Halloween has come and gone, and it is now crunch time before the holidays that consist of smorgasbords, lazy days watching football and spending time with loved ones. I do not know about you, but I indulged in the sweets gathered from Halloween and probably gained a few of those unwanted pounds. For those that do not know, due to the shortage of storage capacity for sugar, the body stores excess sugar as fat. Thus, fat-free candy really is not fat free after all. So, be careful when indulging on pop, candy, and even sugary sports drinks. With that being said, it is time to hit the gym, or where ever you may workout, and burn that sugar and those few extra pounds gained from the past holiday.

Can you name the five human taste receptors? Most of us think of sweet, sour, salty… from there maybe some of us will remember bitter. But I bet you wouldn’t have guessed umami.

Umami is a Japanese word meaning “savory.” It’s attributed to responding to the taste of meats and cheeses. I dug up an audio piece that examines the history of umami and the controversy over whether it exists at all.

But wait, there may be more!