America's Children Are Dying To Lose Weight

Wasting away, Katie died weighing only 58 pounds. And she was sixteen. That just doesn't seem possible to me when I look at my seven-year-old daughter who weighs in at about 55 pounds. Anorexia is a medical enigma. Although there is little concrete evidence of what actually causes anorexia, most experts agree that there are several contributing risk factors. We believe that awareness of these risk factors can reduce the odds that they will be triggered so we are hopeful that this information will save lives. If you're a parent or a teacher, you need to read on…

Word has it around town that Katie had been told by a high school teacher that "she needed to go on a diet." So she did. Certainly this one comment didn't cause this young lady to spin out of control with dieting but it might have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Negative comments about body type and size from authority figures, teachers, coaches and parents, can have a big impact on an adolescent child's self-esteem and are implicated as possible triggers in studies on anorexia. Never underestimate the power of the spoken word to heal… or kill…

Eating disorders (bulimia and anorexia) have historically been considered a girl problem but the pendulum is swinging. Anorexia is being diagnosed more frequently in boys, too. Young boys are becoming more body image conscious than in previous generations. Case in point: my nine-year-old son has come home from school upset on several occasions because kids have called him fat. He is far from fat; in fact, he has cystic fibrosis so we are grateful for any extra padding he has and work very hard to keep his weight as high as possible. His diet is exactly the opposite of what everyone else is eating, filled with high fat, high calorie foods. Jacob understands the importance of complying with his dietary requirements but it can be hard for him to go against the norm.

With the emphasis on childhood obesity and diabetes, children are thankfully becoming more aware of the necessity of good nutrition and weight control. But I wonder if there is a price to be paid by children who are predisposed to eating disorders. With the media, parents, doctors, schools and peers emphasizing being thin and high achieving, it will be unfortunate if the numbers of children diagnosed with anorexia accelerates.

The difficulty lies in knowing which children are predisposed to eating disorders. As our society addresses the obesity issue, are we unknowingly putting some children at risk for eating disorders? How can we address the very real, very troublesome problems associated with the alarmingly increasing body mass index of our young children without triggering other children's potential for becoming anorexic?

This is a problem every parent of every child should consider. Research shows that about 6% of young people suffer from an eating disorder and this figure is thought to be low. The next time you are at a school assembly, look around. There are likely to be at least 10 kids there who have an eating disorder. One of them may even be your own. It is thought that the "anorexic mentality" is in place long before there is physical evidence of the disease. Has your thirteen -year-old been on a diet lately? Stats say that there is an 80% likelihood that she has been. Dieting at a young age puts children at risk for anorexia.

The cause of an eating disorder in any one child is unclear because multiple factors appear to play a role. Genetic factors, family interaction patterns, and the individual's own character and personality have all been implicated. But to summarize the problem in a single sentence, it appears that the illness is a response to coping with stress in genetically predisposed children who are filled with denial about their feelings and weight. There! Quick, short, concise, and anything but simple. This single sentence has many implications for parents and parenting. Let's take a brief look at each of these contributing factors individually and provide parenting responses that might be helpful in combating eating disorders.

1. The Genetic Factor in Eating Disorders

Eating disorders, like many other behavioral illnesses, appear to run in families. Not only does the illness itself run in families but the predisposing temperament seems to as well. The one good thing about illnesses that run in families is the fact that children can be prepared to recognize warning factors prior to the onset of the problem. When children are forewarned, they are forearmed. This forewarning is best carried out in a heart-to-heart discussion about possible future problems. A loving parent, relative, or counselor can initiate dialogue before the child is an adolescent, in an informative, non-hand-wringing and factual manner that indicates a hopeful outlook for a healthy future.

2. Anorexia and Bulimia as a Way of Coping with Stress

Food and emotions are closely linked. Over- and under-eating change brain chemicals that affect anxiety and depression. They are both often unhappy and ineffective ways of coping with stress. An authority on anorexia recently noted that a child's inherent vulnerabilities "load the gun," and environmental stresses "pull the trigger." So, assuming inherent vulnerabilities like genetics are unchangeable, how can we avoid pulling the trigger? Is it possible that we can use parenting techniques that will reduce the odds of pulling the trigger?

We believe the answer is yes. We can easily use parenting techniques that excel at raising children who effectively learn to cope with stress in healthy ways. Such techniques include guiding children to solve their own problems rather than solving them for them, allowing children to experience the consequences of their decisions, and responding to children's mistakes with empathy and understanding rather than anger, frustration, and criticism. These are great immunizations against the use of food as a dysfunctional coping response. The experience of coping and overcoming difficulties with good problem-solving skills leads to the ability to confront feelings and issues in a healthy manner, rather than displacing them with changes in food intake. Also, the child's history of successfully coping with painful outcomes of poor choices makes denial much less likely. And, when a child's mistakes are met with empathy and understanding rather than anger and frustration, a child feels!
supported and understood rather than criticized, demeaned and alone.

3. Psychological Factors in Eating Disorders

Two personality factors have often been reported to be present in eating disorders: perfectionism and high, unrealistic expectations of self. Even when anorexic adults have achieved success, deep down they report feeling insecure and inadequate. There is a tendency to see things only in extremes without shades of gray:

"I'm good or I'm bad."
"I'm pretty or I'm ugly."
"I'm successful or a complete failure."
"I'm perfect or defective."
"I'm fat or I'm thin."

Healthy parenting techniques discourage this type of thinking. Parents: don't over-reassure your children. Over-reassurance actually validates the child's negative thinking and may lead to unhealthy "either/or" black-and-white thinking. Responding with, "Gee, honey, I see it differently, but tell me how you are no good," allows for less manipulation, more acceptance of responsibility, and a child's far more accurate self-examination. Using encouragement rather than praise is also an important parenting technique to increase children's self-awareness. Encouragement gives them experience in viewing themselves, their responses, and their creations realistically, rather than simply trying to please an authority figure. With this simple tool, parents can easily help children learn how to feel good from the inside out rather than looking for approval and self-worth from authority figures.

4. The Role of the Family

There are a number of family factors that are thought to play a role in eating disorders. As we look at some of these interaction factors, it is safe to say that while healthy parenting patterns certainly will not cause or aggravate the problem, they may not be able to alleviate the problem either. Loving, effective parents are known to have had children suffering depression, suicide, and eating disorders. Also, this discussion on parenting styles should not be used as a source of parental guilt but instead provide motivation for change if change is needed. Parents do the best they can, under the circumstances they experience, to raise their children with the love they are able to show. The problem in examining family patterns lies with the fact that all sorts of dysfunctional patterns have been reported. These form a long list:

- Smothering and over-protective families
- Controlling and critical parents
- A chronic feeling of being abandoned and misunderstood
- Having parents or a family that overemphasize appearance and achievement
- Having rigid parents who don't model good conflict resolution skills

The effect of unintentional, yet unhealthy, parental responses cannot be ignored. Again, good parenting techniques do not guarantee success, but at least they are unlikely to contribute to the problem. So rather than focusing on what is speculatively wrong, it is more effective to focus on doing what is right by using healthy parenting skills rather than the unhealthy ones that contribute to dysfunctional family patterns. Whether or not an eating disorder is present, or may be present in the future, it will never hurt for parents to show healthy responses and good parenting techniques.

5. Societal Influences

Finally, there are possible societal factors that influence eating disorders. Big drinks and big burgers have enticed the population into a diabetic frenzy. While most of the population is downright overweight, the females that populate the media (those who model prettiness and good looks) are generally thin to the point of appearing anorexic themselves. Talk about image confusion! On the male side of the equation, we have the same issue with buff men cavorting playfully with thin, pretty women.

With so much emphasis in our culture on athletic performance and good looks, it is not too surprising that some predisposed children take things too far. And, although on the surface it seems reasonable enough to blame society for the self-destructive choices of an individual, this is ultimately self-defeating when dealing with individual situations. Blaming society or others simply removes individual responsibility and accountability and actually increases the likelihood of the negative behavior.

In conclusion, when all is said and done, nobody, at this point, can say with any certainty the exact cause of an eating disorder in any one particular child. But we can say with absolute certainty that all the speculation, studies, reports, and conjecture do not implicate the healthy family interaction patterns taught by Love and Logic. It would appear the personality of the anorexic person is not that of children who have grown up in a home advocating honest acceptance of personal responsibility and where children are:

- Lovingly supported by parents who view mistakes as learning experiences,
- Allowed to make choices and share control,
- And encouraged to cope with the stresses of life in healthy ways.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure particularly where eating disorders are concerned. At this time, there is no cure for anorexia. And America's children are dying to lose weight.

About Essential Fatty Acids and Fish Oil

By now, most of us have heard of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and their potential health benefits. They’re said to sustain cognitive function and memory, benefit the heart and immune system, aid in cell reproduction and repair, and even help balance hormones. Fish oil, duly noted by the medical community as having similar benefits, contains high levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids, thus establishing the link between a daily regimen of fish oil and good health. Fish oil is sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement and comes in both liquid and capsule form.

What are essential fatty acids?

Essential fatty acids are unsaturated fats typically found in the oils of vegetables, certain nuts and seeds and some fish. They’re said to benefit health more than the saturated fats found in meat and dairy products and may even have a positive impact on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Essential fatty acids are referred to as "essential" because they must be obtained through diet and are essential to the normal growth and function of muscles, nerves, cells and organs in humans. There are two families of essential fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids – the fatty acids found in fish oil

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat present in many coldwater fish including trout, salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel, tuna and cod. The two most potent forms of omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), both known as "good fats" – unlike saturated fats, which when consumed in excess can lead to cardiovascular problems, neural and brain disorders.

EPA helps to produce the prostaglandins (hormone-like substances) which help control blood-clotting and arterial functions. EPAs may also help to lower serum triglyceride levels.

DHA is a major component of human brain and retinal tissue and aids the transmission of nerve impulses.

The term "omega-3 essential fatty acid" has become synonymous with "fish oil" in modern American marketing literature.

Sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids other than fish oil include, but are not limited to:

• Avocadoes (whole or oil)
• Brazil nuts
• Flaxseed
• Flaxseed oil
• Fortified milk products
• Hempseeds
• Hempseed oil
• Omega-3 eggs
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seed
• Soybean oil
• Walnuts
• Wheat germ oil

Omega-6 fatty acids – not found in fish oil

Omega-6 EFAs are found in animal products such as dairy and meat and are common in cooking oils such as safflower, olive, sunflower, hemp, soybean, pumpkin, sesame, walnut and flaxseed oils. Too many omega-6 EFAs, say nutritionists, can throw off the balance of prostaglandins and lead to health problems. Experts recommend a ratio of three parts omega-3 essential fatty acids to every one part omega-6 fatty acid in the diet. Research indicates that Americans consume far more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 as a result of overindulging in fried foods, red meat and cheese.

Omega-6 fatty acids are dependent on interactions with omega-3 essential fatty acids in order to benefit good health, which is why a balance of the two is crucial in the diet. The American Heart Association cautions against a high dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acids as it can lead to the development of gallstones and promote tumors.

Prostaglandins

Prostaglandins encompass a number of hormone-like substances found in every cell in the body. They’re critical to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels, the contraction and relaxation of muscles, the regulation of blood pressure and the modulation of inflammation. Prostaglandins are needed for overall good health and maintenance and must be replenished constantly. It’s easy to understand why having a good balance of prostaglandins in the body is essential to well-being.

Where does fish oil come from?

Most fish oil is extracted from the fatty flesh of the fish, unless a product specifically states otherwise, as is the case with cod liver oil or shark liver oil – extracted from fish liver. Nutritious fish oil is usually derived from deep, coldwater fish and those swimming in the wild (wild fish eat other fish and marine animals and vegetation to survive, whereas farm-raised fish are typically fed some type of less nutritious, less expensive, commercial-grade pellet). Some experts say the best fish comes from the deep Atlantic of Norway and other Scandinavian countries: the deeper and colder the water, say experts, the less chance of toxins such as mercury, lead, dioxins, furans and PCBs occurring in the fish oil. Fish from eastern Pacific waters is known to contain elevated levels of mercury.

Fish oil supplements – good ones / bad ones

"Product disclosure" is the operable phrase when seeking out nutritious fish oil supplements. From what kind of fish is the oil extracted and from where is it extracted naturally through pressing or with a centrifuge; or are petrochemical solvents such as hexane used to extract the oil from the source? How is the fish oil refined? Is it molecularly distilled, which to date is the most reliable form of fish oil purification, or does the label read something like "extra-distilled" or "super-distilled?" Such terms have no bearing on quality or safety. Because the hundreds of thousands of fish oil supplements on the market remain unregulated by the FDA, the safety, consistency, efficacy and strength of these products varies immensely among brands.

When reading fish oil supplement labels:

• Make sure the type of fish from which the fish oil is extracted is listed.
• Look for terms "coldwater," "deep water" and "wild" as opposed to "farm-raised."
• In what ocean or hemisphere was the fish caught? North Atlantic, deep, coldwater is said to be the most nutritious.
• Make sure the fish oil is molecularly distilled, which better ensures the absence of PCBs, heavy metals and other contaminants.
• What parts of the fish were used? Fish oils extracted from fish liver may be higher in heavy metals and contaminants.
• What fish oil extraction method was used? Cold or modified expeller pressing means that the oil was produced without damaging temperatures or unnecessary pressure.

Marketing claims that have no defined meaning in relation to fish oil supplements, and which often mislead consumers, include:

• Ultra-pure
• Professional grade
• Pharmaceutical grade
• High-potency
• Super-distilled
• Natural
• Extra-distilled
• Best
• Finest
• Highest quality
• Pure
• Purest
• Purified

Essential fatty acid health benefits and risks

Few argue the benefits of fish oil and essential fatty acids in the diet. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the omega-3 fatty acids can benefit cardiovascular health and that "good unsaturated fats" derived from vegetables and fish are far more nutritious than "bad saturated fats" which come from red meat, animal products and dairy. The cardiovascular benefits to balancing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet include lowered serum cholesterol, decreased serum trigylcerides and reduced platelet aggregation. Although many fish oil supplement companies claim that fish oil supplementation may aid brain function and strengthen the immune system, a complete body of evidence has yet to be produced.

Along with the health benefits of fish oil come some risks, most associated with taking too high doses of fish oil or having dangerously high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in the blood. Some of these risks can include:

• Thinning of the blood and reduced ability of the blood to clot.
• Increased risk of bleeding.
• Too large doses can increase glucose levels in persons with already elevated blood sugar levels.
• In excess, fish oil may suppress the immune system.
• Increase the occurrence of nosebleeds and easy bruising.
• Upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea and belching.
• Poisoning from heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins and pesticides.

Experts and nutritionists are convinced that the health benefits of fish oil far outweigh the risks. However, many warn that fish oil shouldn’t be taken with blood-thinning medication such as warfarin or aspirin and shouldn’t be taken by anyone with bleeding disorders or uncontrolled hypertension. It is highly advisable to consult a physician before supplementing a diet with fish oil.

EPAs, DHAs, efficacy and the FDA

In September of 2004, the FDA announced they would allow a qualified health claim for reduced risk of coronary heart disease for conventional foods that contain EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids as outlined in FDA’s "Interim Procedures for Qualified Health Claims in the Labeling of Conventional Human Food and Human Dietary Supplements." Notwithstanding inconclusive research at the time of release, the FDA said it would exercise its enforcement discretion with respect to the following qualified health claim:

"Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of [name of food] provides [x] grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. [See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content.]"

In 2000, the FDA announced a similar qualified health claim for dietary supplements containing EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids and the reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The FDA recommends that consumers not exceed more than a total of three grams per day of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, with no more than two grams per day from a dietary supplement.