Chimps and children -- the lowdown on childhood obesity

Happy New Year!  Like many of you, I make New Year's resolutions and usually my resolution is to lose weight.  Last year, I lost 20 pounds but with a small medical issue in the fall, it came back.  But who am I kidding?  It always comes back.  Because of the many diets I've tried, almost all successful in the short term, I've probably lost 500 pounds in the course of my life and gained 580.

Some doctors like to say that people who are overweight are in denial.  They don't see themselves as fat and they aren't being honest.  Okay, I'll say it.  I'm fat.  Now I would like some health professionals to get real too.

Jane Goodall's chimps

Here's an interesting article I came across during the holidays.  Recent studies conducted by David B. Allison et al. indicate that humans are not the only animals getting fat.   Pets, mice in labs, marmosets and primates are also gaining weight.  In fact, the average weight of the chimpanzee has increased by 35% per decade.

It's probably obvious that chimpanzees just don't have the will power to stay away from those high-carb bananas.  Perhaps it's because they've let their memberships lapse at the aerial gyms or maybe it's because people have cut down the aerial gyms along with the forest canopy.

All kidding aside, the third reason is closest to the truth.  Humanity in reshaping nature has changed the complex relationship between food and ourselves; between the environment and animals.  The problem of weight gain in animals, including humans in developed and developing countries, is complex and it is more than a simple question of calories and energy expenditure. It's a question of how bodies are using and storing those calories, both in human and chimpanzee bodies.

I had read some of this research before.  The concept of "obesogens" or endocrine disruptors has entered popular thinking thanks to Dr. Oz and Dr. David Suzuki.  A study from the National Institute of Health sees it has a worldwide phenomenon.  This doesn't let me off the hook.  A sensible diet and exercise are still my best options but I worry about the next generation.  More children today are fat, out-of-shape and succumbing to adult-onset diabetes at a younger age.  And the "blame the victim" mentality that simply points the finger at children or their mothers will not solve the problem.  Some ParticipACTION ads have been truly offensive in this regard.

What I have learnt from my numerous attempts at dieting over the years is that there is big money to be made in the fast food and diet industries.  Besides the obvious financial interests of fast food chains, even the board of the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, an arm of the Dietitians of Canada, includes representatives from the Campbell, Nestle, Unilever and Sodexo companies.  On the other hand, we have Drs. Atkins, Bernstein, Pescatore and others who have made millions from the sale of their books and diet products.  If only these people define the conversation, we are unlikely to get the whole story on obesity and without it, we won't truly understand and take action to benefit the next generation of chimps and children.

Yes, let's begin by removing junk food from school cafeterias and ensuring there is 20 minutes of real daily physical activity in our schools but let's not assume this is sufficient. There's a lot at play here but there's also some hope on the horizon.  A recent article in the Globe and Mail indicates that it may be possible to rid ourselves, and particularly our children's bodies, of toxins and it may be as simple as switching to eating organic fruits and vegetables.

Later in life?

This is controversial and it would require a much broader understanding if we're going to ensure that all children, particularly children living in poverty or in the third world, have an opportunity to lead a healthy adult life. Ultimately, it will require us to clean up the environment as a whole and this can't help but help chimpanzees too.

So to the health professionals out there, I have been honest with you.  Now will you come clean too and have a more informed discussion of what it will take to address childhood obesity?


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.