Three U.S. agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Centers for Disease Control are looking to ban junk food marketing targeted to children.

The proposal is aimed at foods with more than 1 gram of saturated fat or more than half a gram of trans fat per serving, 13 grams of added sugar, or 200 milligrams of sodium.

A spokesperson for the group says U.S. government agencies need to do a better job regulating marketing seen by children, and the proposed ban would simply “supervise” food producers.

Some food producers have already reworked their products to take health concerns into account, such as Froot Loops and Cocoa Puffs, which both started to reduce the amount of sugar in foods advertised to children.

But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. The Association of National Advertisers insists advertisers are not responsible for the increasing number of overweight and obese children. So marketers feel as if they are being punished and being censored.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Integral Elementary

Obese children certainly aren’t missing any meals, which helps explain why childhood obesity rates are so high worldwide.

But now scientists suggest severely obese kids lack a particular piece of DNA essential to controlling hunger.

In a new study, published in the journal Nature, experts analyzed the DNA of 300 kids who reached 220 pounds by 10 years old.

Data revealed many children lacked a chromosome that allows the brain to react to leptin, an appetite-controlling hormone.

This DNA issue is extremely rare, occurring in less than 1% of 1,200 obese children.

Due to this gene problem, researchers say overweight kids have a “very strong drive to eat,” and identifying it early can help parents intervene.

Via The Washington Post.

Image credit: Stop-Childhood-Obesity.com

Too many people don’t get enough exercise. Adults might be a lost cause, but it’s too soon to give up on kids.

Young adults need to get moving!

However, it’s pretty hard to pry kids away from video games and the internet.

But a new report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition makes a good case for getting kids to be more active.

In the study, vigorous physical activity among children was linked to fat mass.

Scientists found every 6.5 minutes a child spent playing ball, bicycling, or running, was associated with 1.32 centimeter drop in waist size.

For the research, boys got 30 minutes of activity and girls 22 minutes, but this isn’t a set rule or standard.

Experts suggest exercise be both vigorous and moderate.

But the National Football League likes 60 minutes. Play 60 is the NFL’s campaign to get children to play for 60 minutes everyday.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Meta-Dad

It turns out, belly fat, the scourge of middle age armchair quarterbacks, is no good for young kids.

Just like in adults, obesity and excessive body fat raises “bad” cholesterol in children, a major risk factor for heart disease.

Reporting in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, experts claim children with waists, more than 90% bigger than their peers, have higher levels of LDL cholesterol and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol, i.e. “good” cholesterol.

Scientists say this forecasts possible heart problems later life. Obesity contributes to things like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

So measuring waist circumference in obese kids could help pinpoint children at greater risk of developing health problems.

And just like the guy pounding beers and chicken wings at the sports bar, experts insist the only way to lose weight is to eat right and exercise.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: South Park Studios.