Operation “Stop ChiMeSyX”- To Defeat Metabolic Syndrome X in Our Children and Teens Pediatric Clinic Consultation / Exercise Program / Nutritional Counseling and Supplementation – Comprehensive Pilot Protocol for Overweight Children and Teens, featuring daily intake of Functional Food “SlimFitKid” tm for Effective Weight Management

“ Let’s Help Our Children Manage Their Weight, Stop Insulin- Resistance, Prevent Heart Disease and Gain Overall Wellness”

This is our comprehensive pediatric-guided and supervised health-promoting initiative program aimed at identifying, preventing, counteracting, and even reverting “ChiMeSyX” – Metabolic Syndrome X  in Children and Adolescents (Ages 10 to 16),also known as Insulin Resistance Syndrome. Without proper early identification and treatment, this cluster of high-risk health disorders can develop into serious potentially life-threatening chronic health conditions (such as Diabetes Type 2 , Heart Disease, and NAFLD – Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, etc.) from an early age, which tend to persist into young adulthood and worsen with age.

Overweight kids are not dying in their teens, but by that age they’re now facing many of the serious health problems which are predicted – and could be accurately diagnosed from age 10, according to the International Federation of Diabetes – by the Metabolic Syndrome X.

According to the recent findings by researchers at the University of Miami – School of Medicine, surprisingly, half of obese children by ages 12 to 14 already have “ChiMeSyX”. This means that by this early age they’ve tested positive to at least 3 of the health risk factors that characterize it, namely :  a) abdominal obesity – an abnormally large waist size ; b) high blood sugar levels ; c) low levels of good cholesterol (HDL) ; d) high blood fat (triglycerides) levels, and e) high blood pressure.

If not identified and counteract at an early stage, Metabolic Syndrome X could be catastrophic for the span of life and quality of health that lies ahead for this young person, as if not stopped, it will inexorably lead to Diabetes Type 2, Heart Disease, Fatty Liver Disease, Hypertension and other serious infirmities, as well as to a much higher possibility of suffering a Heart Attack and/or Stroke at a very young age.

Once a child (or teen) has a chronic health condition, he/she will need – for the rest of life – to manage that health disorder, having to bear all the suffering as well as the high economic costs involved.

According to medical scholars, if a child let’s say is age 10, and has “ChiMeSyX”, and the syndrome is not treated, it will take him/her some 10 years or less to become a chronic Diabetic (Type 2) or develop heart disease, etc. This signifies having to face an entire life of chronic illness, which of course, never goes away.

On the other hand, the good news is that if “ChiMeSyX” is identified and properly dealt with as soon as medically-diagnosed , the young person – if he/she diligently implements the appropriate nutritional, exercise and lifestyle modification measures – could prevent the disease(s) and thus reduce the health risk factor(s). This will allow him/her to minimize the effects and even revert the disorder(s), moving towards better health and overall wellness.

(Note: let’s remember the classic good advice from founding father Benjamin Franklin when he taught us that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”).

Psychological studies solidly validate the link between mental/emotional health and physical health among overweight children, as obesity can create tremendous emotional adversity for them, due mainly to Peer Rejection.

In her book. Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children, child psychologist Dr. Sylvia Rimm, director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, describes in great detail the serious day-to-day emotional turmoil that overweight children and teens have to face, as they are often the target of rejection and even cruel treatment by their peers, their teachers and even their parents. According to her, the lifelong consequences of these negative attitudes against these children are devastating to their emotional state of health. Dr. Rimm explains how they are treated as outcasts, lepers and untouchables by many people.

In a groundbreaking survey of over 5,000 children, she was able to discover that compared to normal-weight kids, heavy children were five times more likely to have low self-confidence, four times more likely to be lonely, three times more likely to worry about their future, and two times more likely to consider themselves not smart enough. They feel so sad about their social lives that they’re distracted when they work, and they may console themselves by snacking more often. They’re shut away behind a wall of loneliness, according to Dr. Rimm.

Furthermore, Obesity appears to be a major contributing factor in mental health problems, as studies have found significantly higher prevalence rates for psychiatric diagnoses in obese children and adolescents.  Higher than average rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, social withdrawal and behavioral problems have been found among obese children and youth in comparison to normal-weight children and teens.

It is also important to note that, according to studies, overweight girls are particularly more vulnerable to this emotional turmoil as they seem to be stigmatized significantly more frequently by their peers than boys, having to suffer more mental/emotional anguish because of teasing, “bullying”, and social marginalization in both friendships and romantic relationships.

As parents, health professionals, teachers, and counselors, we must take steps to solve the weight problem, but also address the sadness issue among many overweight children, and take measures to boost their level of belief in themselves, leading to a higher and healthier sense of self-esteem.