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Mexican Americans have a higher rate of obesity than the rest of population; whereas about 40% of Mexican American adults are obese, only 36% are nationally. This report included data from the Centers for Disease Control.

According to recent report from USA Today, “obese” is defined as being 30 pounds or more overweight, the figures for Mexican Americans have grown from 35% obesity in 2006.

This is especially alarming, given another recent report that found that Mexican Americans are the engine of Latino growth in the United States. By 2050 there will be 132 million Latinos in the country, meaning one in three Americans will be Latino, according to CDC data.

For many Latinos, being overweight is commonplace. The greater issue is that obesity may lead to diabetes and  a host of other health issues. Diabetes may lead to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, reproductive issues, and premature death. Diabetics are more prone to strokes and heart attacks.

The CDC report also noted that about 22% of Mexican Americans have high blood pressure, 20% have high cholesterol, about half of their caloric intake tends to come from carbohydrates, and only about half have health insurance. The outlook is bleak, but we’ve written about several ways in which diabetics, or people who are overweight, can take small steps to address their health problems.

• Start with the children.
• Here are 5 easy healthy things you can do today.
• Here’s how you can be physically active and control your blood sugar.
• Latino diabetics can learn how to eat healthier here.
• You don’t have to be a victim of amputation.
• Diabetes doesn’t have to be a death sentence.

[Image By Pharos]

Dear Martha:

I am a woman who feels fulfilled in my professional life, as I have reached every goal I set for myself, and I feel really good about it. I’m very careful about my personal appearance, but I have always struggled with my weight.

I can go several years with healthy weight that I like but whenever I undergo pressure or stress I tend to gain a lot of weight and that makes me feel awful, insecure and I suffer from low self-esteem. I work out and go on strict diets, but when I stop I gain weight very quickly.

I don’t know how to face all the emotions that come with my weight gain. My life changes and I get very anxious and sometimes doubt if Ill ever reach my ideal weight again. What can I do?

-Heavy and Unhappy

Dear Heavy and Unhappy:

I understand how difficult it can be to struggle with weight since it is a very common problem among women. Besides eating in a nutritious way that doesn’t affect your body you need to be sure that

1. Yes, you CAN reach your ideal weight.
2.  An appropriate eating plan and daily exercise need to be a permanent discipline.
3. There are ways you can help yourself through it, like hypnosis, which can help you build a path and find motivation that can lead you to your goal.

If you feel your problem is out of control, seek professional help. I am sure that everything you have been through will help you rediscover your path towards success. Look at pictures of you in your desired weight and remember that you hold the power in your hands.

-Martha

[Photo By Malingering]

By Patti Lynn, otherwords.org

McDonald’s should heed a call from some of the nation’s leading health professionals and stop marketing junk food to kids.

It certainly has good reason to do so. One in three children is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives as a result of diets high in McDonald’s-style junk food. This generation may be the first in U.S. history to live shorter lives than their parents.

That’s why more than 1,750 health institutions and professionals from all 50 states published full-page newspaper ads across the country in May calling on McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner to stop targeting kids with its advertising and promotions.

The ads featured an open letter signed by renowned experts like the noted pediatrician, author, and Harvard Medical School professor Dr. T. Berry Brazelton; editor in chief of The American Journal of Cardiology Dr. William C. Roberts; and Dr. Donald Zeigler, a visiting assistant professor of community and social medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. Leading health institutions, including the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition and Oregon Academy of Family Physicians, signed too.

There were also luminaries like the Hollywood-immortalized doctor and clown, Patch Adams, as well as Oprah regular Dr. Andrew Weil. My organization, Corporate Accountability International, led the initiative to publish the ads shortly before the fast food giant’s annual meeting in May, and thanks to an outpouring of support from leading health professionals, we’re still getting the ad published in newspapers.

The letter’s signatories summed up the crisis that McDonald’s has helped create, noting that “today, our private practices, pediatric clinics, and emergency rooms are filled with children suffering from conditions related to the food they eat.”

They pointed to the growing body of evidence, from organizations like the Institute of Medicine to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which shows that kids’ health can significantly improve when companies stop urging them to eat unhealthy food.

McDonald’s, like the rest of the fast food and junk food industry, often tries to get off the hook by blaming the alarming pediatric health crisis on a breakdown in parental responsibility. However, research doesn’t back that argument up. A Yale-Rudd Center study found no authoritative data indicating such a breakdown has occurred. And a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study concluded that adolescents exercise as much as they did two decades ago, when rates of obesity and other diet-related disease were significantly lower.

So what has changed?

The food children eat and the amount of marketing bombarding our youth. Every year McDonald’s spends at least $400 million on marketing directed at U.S. kids. The comparatively under-resourced prevention and public education initiatives are at a significant disadvantage to compete with such marketing might.

Adding further impetus for McDonald’s to retire Ronald McDonald and other kid-focused promotions were the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, who brought forward a shareholder resolution at the company’s annual meeting. With support from 13 other institutional investors, the Sisters appealed to the corporation to assess its “health footprint.”

After all, McDonald’s fast food and its marketing are taking a real toll on the public’s health, as the Sisters noted in their remarks. It’s irresponsible for the corporation not to publicly assess this impact.

Patti Lynn is the Corporate Accountability International campaigns director. For more information, visit www.LetterToMcDonalds.org

[Photo By pointnshoot]

Adults who watch more than two hours of TV a day tend to weigh more than people who watch less. What’s more, research has shown that the more TV you watch, the more likely you are to develop Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or suffer from premature death.

Americans are watching more TV than ever before, logging in an average of five hours a day. It’s no secret that spending hours in front of the television isn’t the healthiest of habits. But studies show that people are more likely eat high-fat, high-calorie foods while watching the small screen (or the big screen). Research has proven that eating in front of a television set does, in fact, lead to an increase in bad caloric consumption and a decrease in the consumption of healthy foods such as vegetables. Not to mention that you don’t burn many calories sitting in front of the tube.

Adults who watch more than two hours of TV a day increase their daily caloric intake by 137 calories versus those adults who only watch less than an hour of television per day. Although this doesn’t sound like much, it can equal out to be about an extra 14.3 pounds per year of weight!

Children who watch more television have higher body weights than children who watch less.

There is also a strong association between the number of hours of television watched and the degree of obesity in children. One explanation is that almost anything you do other than watch TV uses more energy. Another explanation is TV advertising to children, given that more than 95% of commercials are for food products high in fat, sugar and salt. Children are bombarded with TV ads telling them that bad food is good and they are seduced into wanting them.

Children eat 45% less snack food when they watch cartoons without junk food advertisements, according to studies, compared to children who had watch the same cartoons, but without those ads — so turn off the tube!

Watching more than two hours a day of TV a day puts you at a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, and an early death.

TV viewing is blamed as contributing to the rise in obesity in the United States and other developed countries. And it’s well established that being overweight or obese can lead to many health problems, including Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Eight large studies looked at the relationship between TV time and the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or a premature death, comparing 200,000 people for seven to 10 years.

Their findings? For every two hours of TV a person watched daily, their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes went up by 20%, their risk of heart disease climbed by 15%, and their risk of dying early (from any cause) rose by 13%. The researchers estimated that for every 100,000 people, this would mean 176 new cases of diabetes each year, 38 new cases of fatal heart disease, and 104 premature deaths.

In other articles I have written, I talked about living a healthier lifestyle to reduce your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease — stop smoking, start exercising, and eat healthier foods. Now, add watching less TV to the list. Doing this will help you live healthier and longer.

Jeff Kreisberg is a patient advocate, educator, scientist author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare,” and, until his retirement, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Jeff also blogs regularly on health issues on his website, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow him on Twitter: @kreisberg.

References:

• http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2011/06/does-tv-raise-the-risk-of-diabetes-heart-disease.html
• http://www.naturalwellbeing.com/blog/watching-television-can-enforce-bad-snacking-habits
• http://www.salisburypost.com/Lifestyle/060111-Toi-Degree-column-qcd
• http://www.lapsurg.ir/obesity_clinic_news.aspx?id=51

I don’t remember much from my days in elementary school, but I do fondly recall the moments I spent on the playground during recess. For 20 minutes every day I ran around with my friends, playing stick ball and having a really good time. These were scheduled play times, in addition to physical education (PE).

Without PE time, students risk obesity, diabetes and other problems. Even back in the “good ol’ days” educators knew that allowing play time during school hours increased student’s performance in school — and decreased behavioral problems.

Fast forward to today. Schools are facing pressure to increase academic outcomes in an environment where money is tight and teachers are treated with little respect. Play time and PE are axed in favor of increasing time on tested subjects, with the unintended consequences for our children’s health including increased childhood obesity rates.

At a time when schools are intensely focused on raising student test scores, there are other important aspects of learning that do not appear on exams, such as music, art and physical activity. Physical activity should remain a central feature of children’s academic experience for many reasons.

Physical activity has essentially been removed from our lives. Kids ride to school instead of walking, and in their free time, instead of playing outdoors, they stay inside and watch TV or play video games. The only physical activity kids could count on was what they got at school and now it’s on the chopping block.

We must support efforts to improve the quality of PE offered to our school kids as well as the variety of activities offered. We also should support efforts outside of school to educate kids and their parents about the many benefits of a physically active lifestyle. It’s not just because, it’s for your child’s health and development!

Jeff Kreisberg is a patient advocate, educator, scientist author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare,” and, until his retirement, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Jeff also blogs regularly on health issues on his website, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow him on Twitter: @kreisberg.

References:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/64809067.html

http://www.mylatinovoice.com/healthwise/68-healthcenter/2440-robert-wood-johnson-foundation-playworks-focus-on-play-for-health-reduce-obesity.html

http://texasedequity.blogspot.com/2006/05/school-recess-is-at-risk.html

http://playworks.org

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/64809067.html

[Photo By stevendepolo]

Fat babies are more likely to become obese children who are more likely to become obese adults.

Childhood obesity represents a health crisis for not just young Latinos, but all American children. More than 38% of Latino youth ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese — a higher percentage than among African-American or white youths. And many are likely to develop serious, chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol as adults and children. Disturbingly, the incidence of chronic diseases in obese children has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

Diseases such as diabetes which were never before seen in children are now common. Obese children are more than twice as likely to die early from natural causes.

It is very important for all parents to understand that obesity is a risk to their children’s health when they are children and a risk to their health when they become adults. Astonishingly, this is the first generation of children who will not live as long as their parents.

An analysis in 2005 found that children today may lead shorter lives by two to five years than their parents because of obesity. Children who were the heaviest — the top fourth — were more than twice as likely to die early from natural causes, such as alcoholic liver disease, cardiovascular disease, infections, cancer and diabetes, as children whose weight put them in the lowest quarter of the population.

Recognizing the problem is a start, but now parents must act and do something about it — including making sure your children are eating healthy foods in moderation and less of the unhealthy foods. And be sure your children are involved in some kind of physical activity, like playing outside, for at least an hour a day.

Here are some ideas for living a healthy life from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• 5 – Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day.
• 2 – Limit screen time (for example, TV, video games, computer) to 2 hours or less per day.
• 1 – Get 1 hour or more of physical activity every day.
• 0 – Drink fewer sugar-sweetened drinks. Try water and low-fat milk instead.

As a parent, advocate for change. Much of the obesity problem resides on where you live and the conditions around which you live. If you don’t have access to affordable healthy foods, it’s hard to eat healthy. If you live in a high crime area it’s hard for your children to safely go outside to play.

We must advocate in the community for healthier foods in the schools, more play time, and supermarkets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Many states are changing the menus in school cafeterias and legislating for more physical activities for students. There have also been several successful initiatives across the country to bring supermarkets to disadvantaged communities.

Jeff Kreisberg is a patient advocate, educator, scientist author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare,” and, until his retirement, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Jeff also blogs regularly on health issues on his website, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow him on Twitter: @kreisberg.

References:

http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=62729

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-02-17-chronic17_st_N.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-02-11-obesekidsdieearlier11_ST_N.htm

http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/programs/fffi.php

[Photo By chrisdlugosz]

University of California at Davis Professor Adela de la Torre recently received a grant to help Latino kids in that state with obesity and related problems. She’s an agricultural economic and director of Chicana/o studies at Davis, too.

Our weekly segment, “Bien Hecho,” highlights the good deeds and achievements of Latinos across the U.S. If you feel that someone you know is deserving of recognition, let us know at tips@newstaco.com. Here’s more on Professor de la Torre from a UCD press release:

UC Davis professor Adela de la Torre, a national expert on Chicano and Latino health issues, today received a five-year, $4.8 million federal grant to discover the best ways to help Mexican-heritage children in California maintain healthy weights.

The study, called “Niños Sanos, Familia Sana” (Healthy Children, Healthy Family), will take place in the Central Valley towns of Firebaugh and San Joaquin.

“More than four in every 10 children born to parents of Mexican heritage are overweight or obese, and therefore at greater risk of early diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” said de la Torre. “We are fortunate that we have received unprecedented support to tackle this issue from community members, so that we can build a healthier environment in Firebaugh and San Joaquin.

“We hope that this is the beginning of a series of long-term, collaborative projects to tackle issues of importance raised by our community advisory board.”

UC Davis was one of 24 institutions selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in a national competition for $80 million in grants to address obesity in children ages 2 through 8.

“We know that for our children to grow up and win the future, they need nutritious diets and healthy lifestyles that enable them to reach their fullest potential,” said Roger Beachy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. “USDA supports the research and development of science-based methods that can reverse the trend of rising obesity and assist children and their families in adopting healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.”

In the UC Davis “Niños Sanos, Familia Sana” study, 400 Firebaugh children and their families will be provided with practical tools, education and incentives to help them eat healthy diets and get sufficient exercise.

The Firebaugh program activities include:
• $25 monthly in vouchers that can be used to buy fruits and vegetables at participating markets;
• Family Nights that include parent education about children’s nutrition needs and physical activity;
• Classroom instruction for children on nutrition and physical activity;
• Two health screenings yearly to monitor body mass index, skinfold thickness and waist circumference; and
• A community art project with murals and posters promoting healthy eating and active living.

Concurrently, in San Joaquin, a similar number of children will receive the health screenings. In addition, their parents will be provided workshops on topics such as “How to support your children in school” and “Strategies to help your child prepare for college.” However, the San Joaquin group will not receive the more intensive intervention. (After both towns had agreed to take part in the study, a random card-draw determined that Firebaugh would be the intervention group and San Joaquin would be the control group.) At the study’s end, UC Davis researchers will analyze the results to see which strategies worked best.

“This intervention study will be one of the first of its kind in the nation for Latino children between the ages of 3 and 8 and, hopefully, will help us target what really works in sustaining healthy eating and exercise for Latino families with young children,” said de la Torre.

The “Niños Sanos, Familia Sana” study collaborators come from a rich cross-section of the community, and include key people who influence children’s eating habits and activity levels.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Photo By UCD]

You don’t have to be obese and have a terrible diet to become a diabetic. Lea Contreras is a 55 year-old woman who moved to the here from Mexico a few years ago to lend her daughter a hand in caring for her new grandbaby. Given that she was only slightly overweight, Contreras was very surprised when she found out she had Type 2 diabetes; her eating habits that included fast food, fried foods, and excessive sweets had raised her blood sugar to unhealthy levels.

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are two important health concerns for both Latinos and Americans, in general. More than 60% of Latino adults are overweight (including more than 25% who are obese). Being overweight increases your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.

The good news is that you can lower your risk for developing these health conditions or manage existing conditions, by altering your lifestyle, which means eating healthfully and being physically active. In this article, I will discuss how you can eat healthfully and control your diabetes.

You can reduce your risk of developing diabetes naturally by limiting your intake of fat, increasing your intake of fiber and doing exercise, according to various studies in the U.S. and England. Simple lifestyle interventions of losing 5-7% of body weight and engaging in an average of 30 minutes of daily exercise, like walking, produces a reduction in the risk of developing diabetes.

Here are some tips to get you started on the road to a healthier life:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Reduce or eliminate your intake of “bad” carbohydrates such as sugary sweets and starchy grains, breads and potatoes. Buy at least one different fruit or vegetable every time you shop and eat at least one of them at every meal.
• Read food labels. Choose foods with less fat, calories, and salt. Cut down on fried foods.
• Ensure that each meal contains lean protein. Trim fat off meats, take the skin off chicken and turkey. Be mindful of certain “bad” fats (animal fat is bad). A rule of thumb for protein (in the form of lean meat) is a serving about the same size as a deck of cards.
• Use reduced-fat salad dressings, mayonnaise and cheese. Use skim or low-fat milk, cheese, and dairy products such as yogurts.
• Carefully plan out your portion sizes at meals and snacks. Too much or too little food can dramatically impact the fluctuations of your blood sugar levels. A dietician can show you how to properly measure your portions.
• Choose healthy snacks such as: fruits, veggies, or nuts instead of chips. Drink plenty of water — always.
• Cook ahead and freeze food portions. This will help you have healthy and easy meals ready on days when you are too busy to cook and help you avoid fast food.
• If you’re going to eat out, plan ahead before you go. This is especially true if you are taking insulin or diabetic pills. Avoid fried foods and extra salt. Ask for any sauces to be served on the side. Avoid starchy carbohydrates and sugary sweets. Before drinking alcohol, discuss it with your doctor.

Here are some healthy cooking tips for diabetics:

• Choose liquid oils instead of solid fats like lard and butter. Any fat that turns to solid when cooled should be avoided.
• Whenever a recipe calls for oil, use canola or olive oil.
• Trim fat off meats, take the skin off chicken and turkey.
• Use skim or low-fat milk, cheese, and dairy products such as yogurts.
• Bake, grill, broil or roast meats, fish, and vegetables instead of frying.
• Use spices and fresh herbs to season foods instead of salt.
• Serve water or skim milk with meals instead of soft drinks.
• Look for 100% fruit juices when selecting juices.

For some tasty recipes for diabetics, download your copy of “Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families” and en español. Thankfully, most of us don’t worry about our blood sugar levels, confident that our bodies will do it automatically for us. However, this is not true for diabetics. With lifestyle changes like changing her diet, Contreras was able to control her blood sugar levels without medication.

Managing blood sugar is a matter of life or death for diabetics. Diabetics must learn how to work with their bodies to help it maintain a balanced blood sugar level. For diabetics, healthy eating is a life or death matter.

References:

• http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesAndLatinos/
• http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200105033441801
• http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/preventionprogram/
• http://www.edietstar.com/Meet_The_Experts/Healthy_Nutrition/Diabetes/index.html
• http://ndep.nih.gov/publications/PublicationDetail.aspx?PubId=73
• http://www.kraftbrands.com/sites/KraftNutrition/PDF/2005-hispan.pdf
• http://EzineArticles.com/3317980

[Photo By TheBittenword.com]

Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common cause of hospitalizations and lower extremity amputations in the United States. If left untreated, foot ulcers can lead to infection, gangrene and amputation.

Just as Native-Americans, Latinos, and African-Americans have higher incidences of diabetes compared to whites, there are remarkable variations in amputation rates among certain ethnic groups. For example, Latinos and African-Americans have a two-fold higher risk of amputations compared to whites, while Pima Indians have a four-fold higher rate. Regrettably, South Texas reports twice the national amputation rate, and the rate in McAllen, Texas is three times higher than in Amarillo!

Certainly, access to adequate foot care plays a role in these disparities, but education about proper foot care is just as important.

Contrary to what many believe, amputation is not an inevitable complication of diabetes — but the result of modifiable risk factors. With a team approach to managing diabetes, including patient education and proper foot care, the incidence of amputations could be prevented or minimized by 44% to 85%. However, amputations continue to increase because many patients do not understand the importance of aggressively treating foot ulcers nor do they have access to preventive services for routine foot care or diabetes management.

People with diabetes should treat their feet with special care. By following some simple tips, diabetics can dramatically reduce their risk of amputation.

Here are some steps to prevent foot ulcers:

• Check your feet daily.
• Visit a podiatrist or family doctor once a  year for foot care.
• If you have abnormalities to your feet, have your feet checked three times a year.
• Keep your blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels and blood pressure under control.
• Check your feet for cuts, blisters, or areas of irritation. If you have any of these see a podiatrist or family practice doctor.
• Wash and dry your feet, particularly between your toes.
• Protect your feet from extreme hot and cold temperatures.
• Avoid walking barefoot.
• Stop smoking
• Exercise
• Do not drink or drink in moderation.

When your toenails need trimming:

• Trim your nails straight across and only if you can see well.
• If you cannot see well or your nails are thick or yellowed, have a podiatrist trim them.
• Do not cut into the corners of your toes.
• Do not cut corns or calluses.

When you visit the doctor, ask her to:

• Look at your bare feet at each visit. As a reminder, remove your shoes and socks. Be proactive when it comes to your foot care!
• Check your feet for sense of feeling and your pulse at least once a year.
• Show you how to take care of your feet.
• Teach you about proper footwear to reduce the risk of injury that can lead to ulcer formation.

In order to get the right care, you must participate in your care. Remember, the more you know, the better your care!

References:

• http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/mar_apr_01/footcare.html
• http://www.southtexashealthsystem.com/Services-A-O/Diabetes-Management/MMC-Diabetes
• http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/11/diabetes-leg-amputations-mcallen-texas.html
• http://web.caller.com/2001/february/26/today/localnew/18795.html

Jeff is a patient advocate, educator, scientist author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare,” and, until his retirement, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. For more information or to contact him, visit his website.

[Photo By tentwo.teneight]

President Barack Obama, seemingly surprised by Census results, has begun to court Latino voters around the issue of education.

Last week 6,000 less people applied for unemployment, perhaps hinting at a drop in layoffs and nearing a level of consistent hiring.

As obesity is becoming a public health concern, a stigma against overweight and obese people is spreading from the U.S. abroad.

138 baby dolphins have been found dead along the Gulf Coast, but there are probably many more, a troubling sign that the BP Gulf Coast oil spill’s effects linger, despite their PR campaign of cleaning it all up.

Republicans and Democrats are finally talking realistically about a budget, as the current one expires April 8.

[Photo By Schlüsselbein2007]