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By some estimates, 25 percent of young people in the United States are either overweight or obese, a figure that has doubled in the last 30 years. In that time, the physical activities in our lives have gone down while our caloric intake has gone up. The U.S. Surgeon General has called the incidence of excessive weight--which unfortunately extends to all age groups including the elderly--a public health crisis. By presenting both real-life case studies and the most current scientific research, this book provides the information young people need to understand the indivisible connection between weight and health.
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MURPHY
ENJOY THESE TITLES IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MEDICAL LIBRARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
MENINGITIS
ANXIETY DISORDERS
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
ASTHMA ORPHAN DISEASES
WEIGHT AND HEALTH
By some estimates, 25 percent of young people in the United States are either overweight or obese, a figure that has doubled in the last 30 years. In that time, the amount of physical activity in our lives has decreased while our caloric intake has gone up. The U.S. Surgeon General has called the incidence of excessive weight—which extends to all age groups including the elderly—a public health crisis. By presenting both real-life case studies and the most current scientific research, this book provides the information young people need to understand the connection between weight and health.
CANCER STDs DEPRESSION TOURETTE SYNDROME DIABETES TUBERCULOSIS HEART DISEASE
Twenty-First Century
WEIGHT AND HEALTH INFLUENZA
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WEIGHT AND HEALTH
WEIGHT AND HEALTH
WENDY MURPHY
Twenty-First Century Medical Library Twenty-First Century Books Minneapolis
To Jessica, who inspired me with her courage, resolution, and triumph
Text copyright © 2008 by Wendy Murphy All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Twenty-First Century Books A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 U.S.A. Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Murphy, Wendy B. Weight and health / by Wendy Murphy. p. cm. — (Twenty-first century medical library) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–8225–6784–4 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Obesity in children—Juvenile literature. 2. Body weight—Health aspects—Juvenile literature. I. Title. RJ399.C6M87 2008 618.92'398—dc22 2007027620 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 – BP – 13 12 11 10 09 08
eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-4043-0
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 EATING TO LIVE 7 Chapter 2 NATURE, NURTURE, AND BODY WEIGHT 26 Chapter 3 THE SUPER-SIZE HABIT 46 Chapter 4 WHY WORRY? 62 Chapter 5 THE STRAIGHT SKINNY ON DIETING 78
GLOSSARY 98 SOURCE NOTES 106 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 107 FURTHER INFORMATION 108 INDEX 110
Chapter
EATING CHAPTER TO TITLE LIVE
Nick’s Story “I’ve been big all my life,” says fifteen-year-old Nick Roemer. “By the time I entered sixth grade, I already weighed 250 pounds (113 kilograms) and had to shop in the oversized department. I’m taller now, but I’m heading for 300 pounds (136 kg) soon, and it seems like I am constantly hungry. “After school I spend a lot of free time by myself. I don’t much like after-school sports, I suppose because I’m not very good at any of them. So I’ll stop on the way home at one of the fast-food