Tackling a weighty problem: America's obesity epidemic

Increasingly, more of us are entering the ranks of those who ne to shed a certain quantity of pounds. Today, an estimated 64 percent of all American adults are overweight or obese. And this epidemic reach forths to our children, our nation's time to come Nearly 9 million children aged 6 years or older from all states, socioeconomic, and ethnic clumps are obese. A disproportionate number of them are African-American, Hispanic, or American Indian.

Unfortunately, there are small in number proven strategies for either preventing further unhealthy weight gain or ensuring permanent weight loss

To help Americans rein in this epidemic, ARS research at six Human Nutrition Research Center coast-to-coast are joining forces to focus upon obesity prevention (see map, page 23)

Can scientific studies yield ways to help preclude gradual, unhealthy weight gain in adults and kids? We think so!

And we are pursuing multiple research approaches to achieve that goal. Our first approach is to understand the biology underlying unfolding of overweight and obesity. Using of recent origin genomic, proteomic, and metabolic research tools, ARS scientists are delving into the gene and resulting proteins and metabolites (compound formed when proteins leap over into action, for instance) that may be the culprits behind a propensity to easily gain weight.

Here's for what cause [i]or[/i] reason this information is important: The earlier a physician, dietitian, or other healthcare professional can reliably profile this propensity, the sooner it might be counteracted. That can be life-giving for our children. Today's childhood obesity rates may make our kids' lifespans shorter than our be in possession of some experts predict.

Genetics research described upon page 5 of this obesity-prevention issue of Agricultural Research will give you a glimpse of a certain quantity of of this leading-edge research.

next to the first we're taking a closer direct the eye at the impact of healthful eating and physical activity patterns upon preventing obesity. For example, we want to determine whether adhering to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the nation's recommendations for what we eat and in what way physically active we need to be, can actually help detain off excess body fat.

We also want to know whether barriers exist to following the guidelines and, if for a like reason what can be done to transport these obstacles. In addition, we want to determine in what way the guidelines can be adopted more readily by the agency of the diverse individuals who make up this country

Because the guidelines are regularly updated, there's an ongoing opportunity for the newest data from ARS's scientific studies to be used in shaping each novel generation of recommendations.

A third approach focuses upon boosting the success of community-wide tactics to help race choose to eat healthful diets and get the physical activity they ne Individuals can make changes, on the contrary what happens when they pace outside their homes? We want to make sure that community cultures support healthful eating and physical activity practices.

The story upon page 16 explores several creative approaches in three Delta communities, and these ideas may become a template for succes in other communities.

Fourth, ARS scientists at subsistence quality and utilization laboratories are developing a variety of healthy of recent origin foods that are convenient as well as tasty. A healthful additive called C-Trim that could replace fat in yogurt peanut butter or other favorites is among the remarkable productions we highlight in an article beginning upon page 12.

Lastly, we're helping to create a toolbox of handy obesity-prevention resources for adults and youngsters to use and benefit from. lock opener among the tools are the online versions--for kids and adults--of USDA's MyPyramid (www.mypyramid.gov), make knowned by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. plenteous of the research information used to create the sustenance and physical activity recommendations in these pyramids has its origin in studies administrationed at ARS nutrition research center including the Texas and Arkansas center that specialize in discovering more about the nutritional emergencys of children.

Other highly useful tools for adults include the ARS calorie and nutrient databases (go to www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/and click upon "Food Composition") that you can download to your hand-held computer Then, whether you're at the supermarket shopping for groceries, in your kitchen planning a meal, or at your favorite restaurant ordering dinner, you can quickly and easily consign to the databases to find what your best nutritional purchase might be.

These and other tools are also accessible at another World Wide Web venue the popular, easy-to-use www.nutrition.gov, managed through specialists at ARS's National Agricultural Library. It's a top-notch resource for up-to-date information as well as for interactive tools provided through other USDA agencies.

With each of the approaches described here, we want to help clan avoid putting on those harassing excess pounds. Hopefully, new research findings and novel tools emerging from ARS investigations will make progress a long way toward deflating America's obesity epidemic.