Day 78 - "Child Obesity Linked to Formula, Early Start on Solids"

In an article in USA Today, results have come out on way to fight childhood obesity before a child's birth in a new study.

According to the study, "formula-fed babies who begin solid foods too early - before they're 4 months old - are six times as likely to become obese by the age of 3, compared with babies who start on solids later, according to a study of 847 in today's Pediatrics. About 9% of the children in the study were obese by the age 3." In a background check done by the study, about 26% of the babies were started on solid foods prior to or by the age of 4 months, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents delay introducing solid foods until the age of 4 to 6 months.

Apparently, breast-fed babies face no additional risk of obesity, regardless of when they start on solids. The Academy recommends that mothers breast-feed their babies until they are about six months old. Then combine nursing with other kinds of solid foods for the remainder of the first year. According to USA Today, "Doctors have long known that breast-fed infants are less likely to become overweight." However, the survey showed that only 75% of American babies get any breast milk, and half are nursed for less than four months. Furthermore, in a study published in 2005 by the American Medical Association, switching formula-fed babies to breast milk can reduce the child obesity rate by 15% to 20%.

Exercise: Today I went to work a bit early to do an intensive swim workout with my work colleagues. I went a total of 2200 meters and mixed up freestyle and I.M. swimming:

100 warm up

4x100 freestyle (on 2:00 - minutes)

Ladder-Up Distance 250 (25-50-75-100)

Ladder-Down Distance 250 (100-75-50-25)

4x4 sets of 50's (fly-back, back-breast, breast-free, free-free)

400 cool down

TOTAL: 2200 meters

Eat: "White Fruits and Vegetables are Also Good for You". Produce in every color offer healthy benefits to us, even white vegetables like cauliflower, onions, and garlic. Like other vegetables, these have also been linked to good-for-you nutrients and are believed to be a cancer preventative.

Relax: After sleeping in and waking up late this morning, I enjoyed sitting down and eating some delicious banana pancakes Aaron made while playing a few games of cribbage with Aaron, Alex, and Caitlin. It's fun to start your day hanging out with friends and getting your brain going with a few games.