Symptoms of metabolic dysfunction are being seen at alarmingly early ages, with some children and adolescents even developing the adult form of diabetes, said Dr Lynn Moore, a researcher at the Section of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University’s School of Medicine.

Dr Moore’s research has shown that some children were heading for a “modern-day tragedy” by their inactivity and poor diet. “The most surprising result to me from our research was the strong direct effect of diet and activity on the risk of developing metabolic syndrome* at a young age.”

As she put it: “pre-school eating and activity habits determine adolescent shape and weight.”

Positively, Dr Moore found that children who consumed the recommended amounts of dairy, as well as fruits and non-starchy vegetables, had a lower risk of obesity, less fat around the waist, lower blood pressures and higher ‘good’ cholesterol levels by the time of adolescence.

“Other beneficial effects were noted from higher intake of grains, particularly whole grains, while the consumption of moderate amounts of meats and other proteins were not seen to increase the risk of obesity during childhood.”

To have the best possible chance of avoiding overweight and obesity in adolescence, Dr Moore offered the following advice for pre-school children:

1. consume two to four serves of dairy daily
2. consume six plus serves of grains, especially whole grains
3. four to eight serves of fruit and vegetables; and
4. ensure a balanced intake of meat and protein.

Further, Dr Moore said that children should watch less than two hours of TV daily and build physical activity into their daily routine.

More generally, Dr Moore noted that some ‘well-intentioned’ dietary changes had backfired nutritionally. For example, the epidemic of heart disease had focused attention on dietary fat, leading to avoidance of dairy foods.

Dr Moore said: “Cutting out an entire food group, such as dairy, for the purpose of weight loss is not supported by scientific evidence. Indeed there is research to show that overweight adults with low intakes of calcium might benefit from increasing their dairy intake when trying to lose weight.”

She speculated that children who consumed more dairy foods gained less body fat because the calcium content might suppress fat production, while the protein content of dairy might foster the development of greater lean body mass.

Further information:
Dr Malcolm Riley/Dairy Australia M: 0417 166 039

* Metabolic syndrome is not a disease – rather it is a clustering of risk factors on the path to disease, in particular diabetes.  Risk factors include abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels,  low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, high blood glucose levels and raised blood pressure.

Dr. Lynn Moore is one of the key note speakers at the December 2007 joint Australia and New Zealand Nutrition Societies Conference in Auckland, speaking about her extensive research into the epidemiology of obesity, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on the original of adult disease in childhood.  She is an investigator of the long-running Framingham Heart Study, serving as co-principal investigator and director (Children’s Study) and co-investigator (Adult Studies).