Tag Archives: teen health

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall Warns Teens Against Fad Dieting

Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, is championing a new cause these days: Her concern for teens and the path they’re heading down with their diets, which could lead them to a life of suffering from Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones, making them fragile and easily breakable. Currently nearly 3 million people in the UK are suffering from the disease, and more than 250,000 fractures occur every year as a result.

Some suspect it’s the non-dairy and wheat-free fad diets that are putting these teens at risk. If they fail to build their bone strength up prior to reaching the age of 35, their chances of developing the disease are much higher.

“To unite with all of you today is so important, to get the message worldwide to people that it can be prevented,” said Bowles.

The Duchess has such as strong opinion regarding this topic as both her grandmother and mother have been affected by the disease. She watched her mother lose 8 inches in height and suffer from serious digestion issues as a result, which eventually led to hear death at the young age of 72. Her personal experience with the disease in her family led to her become the President of the National Osteoporosis Society in the UK. (more…)

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Danielle

Overweight Teens Eat Fewer Calories Than Their Healthy Weight Peers, Study Suggests

If you think overweight teens are in their state of health because of their out-of-control calorie intake, think again. A new study from the University of North Carolina of Medicine suggests that older children who are overweight may be consuming fewer calories than their peers at healthier weights.

To conduct the study, researchers analyzed the diet reports of more than 19,000 children ages 1 to 17. They categorized the children based on weight, and children under the age of 2 were categorized based on weight-for-length percentile.

Researchers then looked at the correlation between age and weight category on calorie intake. What they found was that younger, overweight children consume more calories than their healthier peers. However, in the case of older children, those who are overweight actually consume fewer calories than their healthier peers.

These findings led researchers to believe that children who become overweight at a young age tend to remain overweight, regardless of calorie intake fluctuation.  (more…)

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Dana

Mom and Teen Share First of Many Running Experiences

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from so many parents and children about their running relationships over the past month, it seemed fitting to end the series with a beginning. A story of a first experience that will inevitably lead to so much more. Hearing from Ria and her teenage daughter Anna was a wonderful way to close out this series that’s so near and dear to my heart.

When a touching picture of Ria Farmer and her 15-year-old daughter Anna running a race together was spotted on Facebook, I was excited to ask her about their running relationship. Assuming this was a common occurrence for this mother and daughter, I was surprised to learn that the photogenic moment was a first for the women.

“Last weekend was our first race that we ran together,” said Ria, of the Ballet Wichita 5k Art Run.

Ria explained how having her daughter at her side during the race was a fantastic addition to the experience. (more…)

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Lacy

MTV’s Chelsea Settles Joins Summer Weight Loss Camp

MTV reality show star, Chelsea Settles will be making a guest appearance at one of the country’s premier weight loss camps for kids.

Settles will be taking her inspiring story to the New Image Camps at Pocono Trails in Reeders, PA. This Saturday, May 12, 2024, Settles will meet with parents and campers and discuss the subjects she’ll be teaching as she herself attends the camp this summer season. Settles plans to teach classes in grooming, poise, and charm.

Camp founder and director Tony Sparber has invited Settles to be a part of his camp. Sparber has spent his career providing safe and healthy environments where campers can learn all about proper diet and exercise habits while losing weight. He hates the term “fat camp,” however he has been given the title, “The King of Fat Camp.” He allows this title as it speaks truth to his vision as a pioneer in the weight loss camp industry. Settles will join Sparber this weekend at the Pocono Trails open house, where the children will surely be inspired and probably a little excited to be on MTV. (more…)

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Lacy

Teens May Benefit from Yoga More than Traditional Physical Education Classes

Attention high school teachers! Do you find yourself rushing to yoga after school to help you deal with the stress of being around teenagers all day? Perhaps you do, and you go because you know after an hour of yoga you will feel better, calmer, and have more energy for an evening of grading papers. It is generally understood that after practicing yoga, your mind will be clearer and as a result, you won’t stress over the little things that would otherwise bog you down and wear you out.

But if you are stressed from being around teens all day, how do you think the teens feel after constantly being around each other? Peer pressure, hormones, social anxieties and low self-esteem are all components that contribute to having a high level of stress.

The Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics recently piloted a study to determine the psychological effects of yoga on high school students. Led by Jessica Noggle of the Harvard Medical School in Boston, the results of the study concluded positive benefits of yoga on teenagers.

For ten weeks, one group of teenagers participated in regular physical education classes, while the other group practiced Kripalu yoga; a style of yoga that consists of yoga poses, breathing exercises and meditation. Prior to the start of the PE or yoga program, and after ten weeks of attendance in class, students completed a run of psychologically focused tests. Testing included measuring states of anxiety, tension and mood.

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Posted on April 5, 2024 by Jill

Controlled Programs Help Teen Girls with Weight Issues

Losing weight is not typically seen as an easy task. Add in factors like being a teenage girl with a body that is constantly changing, and losing weight may be even more difficult. Certain elements can aide in the success of weight loss as a newly released study conducted by Kaiser Permanente has shown. This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and looked at 208 girls between the ages of 12 and 17 living in Oregon and Washington. The observations of the study took place in the years 2005-2024 with all of the participants being classified as obese at the beginning of the study. The young girls in this study were divided into two groups – one group that received only regular care from their doctors and one group that was placed on a program featuring regular group meetings, information on changing their lifestyle with behavioral counseling. The girls that were on the specified program were also asked to chart their daily calories, exercise and weight.

Lead author and senior investigator with Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Lynn DeBar was quoted as saying, “Nearly one-third of teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are overweight or obese, and many of them are likely to be obese adults. Our study shows that intervention programs can help these girls achieve long-term success managing their weight and also learning new habits that will hopefully carry over into their adult life.”

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Posted on February 22, 2024 by Descygna

15 Year Chicken Nugget Diet Finally Catches Up with Teen

Stacey Irvine takes fast food addiction to a whole new level. The British teenager has lived on a diet of practically nothing but chicken nuggets since the age of two.

“McDonald’s chicken nuggets are my favorite,” she said. “I share 20 with my boyfriend with chips. But I also like KFC and supermarket brands. My main meal is always chicken nuggets every day,” she said.

Irvine, who has claimed to have never eaten a fruit or vegetable, was diagnosed by doctors to have anemia, an iron deficiency, and swollen veins in her tongue. The 17-year old was rushed to the hospital after she collapsed and began struggling to breathe. Irvine received nutrient injections and was put on a course of vitamins before being released home.

Even after doctors urged her to change her diet, she says she will continue to eat her favorite food. “I first tasted chicken nuggets when my mum took me to McDonald’s when I was two. I loved them so much they were all I would eat. I just couldn’t face even trying other foods. Mom gave up giving me anything else years ago,” she added.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Kelly

Isaac “Chism” Cornelison is Biggest Loser 13’s Youngest Contestant at Age 19

By Dani M. Stone

Isaac “Chism” Cornelison from Magnolia, Texas knows a thing or two about fighting to be well. At the age of 10, Chism was involved in a bad accident, breaking his ankle and injuring the growth plate in his leg. Over the next five years he would undergo seven surgeries to correct this problem with much time spent on crutches and in wheelchairs. At 19, Chism now weighs 361 pounds. This college freshman joins his father Mark Cornelison, a youth pastor, as the “grey team” on Biggest Loser 13. This season, Chism dons the title of youngest contestant.

During the time Chism was recovering from one surgery and waiting for the next, well-intentioned family members waited on him and even brought him delicious treats to cheer him up. Food for the soul, maybe, but not for the body. He admits that when the time came for him to be released from further surgeries, he had gotten so used to his sedentary lifestyle that nothing motivated him to move. A few times he and his father worked together to lose a few pounds for a specific goal such as a family vacation, but then once the “occasion” to lose weight was over, they both went back to old habits. (more…)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Health Buzz

Talking to Kids About High Calorie Drinks Curbs Consumption by 40 Percent

With a potential for 300 calories or more coming  from your child’s sugary drink, it’s no wonder studies are being undertaken to find ways to decrease this type of beverage intake in adolescent populations.

Yet decreasing the amount of calories adolescents drink on a daily basis doesn’t have to be that difficult. Simply letting kids know what those calories mean may be all it takes.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently reported in the American Journal of Public Health that providing African American adolescents with the facts about some of their favorite high-calorie drinks dramatically reduced how much they drank by 40%. Even better, letting the kids know how much physical activity it would take to burn off one drink resulted in a 50% decrease in high-calorie beverage consumption.

Apparently, adolescents, just like adults, want to better visualize what’s in their food. By showing the impact calories play on our daily lives, its much easier to see why getting just the right amount is important.

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Posted on December 24, 2023 by Kati

A New Season of “I Used to be Fat” Begins October 11 on MTV

A new season of MTV’s “I Used to be Fat” starts October 11, 2024. This hit show had viewers glued to the screen last year as young adults embarked on intense life transformations.

The show is a documentary series highlighting overweight teenagers the summer before they start college. The profiled teens are desperate to shed pounds and are surprised by a fitness expert knocking at their door to help them accomplish their goals.

The teens go through intense fitness regimens and work alongside experts to learn how to make lifestyle changes. They also begin to understand the habits that caused them to gain so much weight in the first place.

(more…)

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Lacy

Tune-In: American Idols Help Two Teens Battle Obesity on Dr. Drew’s LifeChangers

Tune in to Dr. Drew’s Life Changers, his new daytime talk show, today, September 26th, as two former American Idols join Dr. Drew in helping two teens fight in their weight loss battle.

Together, through rigorous boot camps and new meal plans, former contestants Stefano Langone and Pia Toscano join two teen girls as they begin their journey to health.

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Lacy