After decades of advances in modern medicine, why are death rates rising in 2016? Unfortunately, today’s parents can expect to live longer lives than their children, a sad commentary on today’s lifestyle. Simply put… the obesity epidemic among children in the United States is shortening their life expectancies, causing mortality rates to go in the wrong direction.
The first lady of the United States has been championing the cause against obesity in America’s schools. Of course, public school officials must remove access to high-calorie, sugary beverages from our nation’s cafeterias. Yet our children spend less than 20 percent of their time in the classroom. What good is it when a child can’t have high-calorie beverages at school when the refrigerator at home is full of sugar-laden beverages?
I recently heard someone ask “what is the most important thing we can teach our children?” The answer was to teach our children how to be when they leave us. In other words, prepare them for life when they are alone. Looking back on my early years as a mother, I knew my daughters were learning about life “through my eyes.” I was always aware of the responsibility I felt as a role model. And that is what I hope is at the top of every parent’s job description list, as a caring teacher of our children.
For today, since this is an article about obesity and mortality rates, this is my plea to parents of young children. The national focus promoting healthier diets in public schools has highlighted the obesity crisis in the United States. In fact, inaction on this will have initial results, including a lifespan for members of our new generation that is two to five years shorter than that of the previous generation, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Think about this for a moment, with all the medical advances our society has produced; the children of this generation will have less life expectancy than their parents. The obvious culprit is in my mind, fast food (I’ve never seen a child turn down a potato chip), video games, and other screen activities that discourage physical activity.
And every time we hear about the high incidence of obesity, we are reminded of the current diabetes epidemic. In the US, diabetes affects tens of millions of Americans, costs about $174 billion a year, and ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. And studies indicate that the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes is being overweight, a characteristic shared by 85 percent of diabetics. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, nine out of ten cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented with exercise, healthier diets, quitting smoking, and other healthy behaviors. Even modest weight loss has been found to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain blood glucose control and live healthier, longer and more active lives.
The complications of diabetes, as reported by the Defeat Diabetes Foundation, are myriad. Most concerning, in my opinion, is that people with diabetes are 65 percent more likely than their peers to develop Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, a large proportion of people with diabetes suffer from nervous system damage, including carpal tunnel syndrome and altered sensation in the feet or hands. And people with diabetes are two to four times more likely than others to develop heart disease and six times more likely to have a stroke. Not surprisingly, people with diabetes live an average of six years less than their non-diabetic peers. All this due to a condition that, in most cases, can be prevented by reducing the consumption of sugar, carbohydrates and processed foods that are so prevalent in the American diet.
The point is that parents of young children in the US need to fully recognize and understand the health risks facing their children today and in the years to come. They are facing the challenge of being overweight and the increased chances of becoming a diabetic child. A young diabetic today will face a 65% increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in their later years. In addition, a diabetic lives six years less than non-diabetics. Children with diabetes have a much greater health disparity than people without disabilities.
The message is very loud and clear. But it must be heard, understood, accepted and put into practice! The key to good parenting begins with loving our children, but we must go one step further. We have to start by accepting that we control how long our children will live. We have their mortality in the palm of our hands. When we appease them with potato chips and sugary drinks, we ARE GUARANTEED to help shorten their life. They will die too soon and long after we are gone. Is this the legacy you want to leave your children? I hope not.
Copyright 2016
Allan Checkoway, RHU