By Kristi Kastrounis, The Virginian-Pilot (The Clipper)
- July 22, 2007
It's summer and it's hot, and most people don't think twice
about picking up a large Slurpee while pumping gas at 7-Eleven.
Yet Dr. Margaret Gaglione, who recently opened Tidewater Bariatrics
weight loss clinic in Greenbrier, has seen firsthand the damage
of unhealthy food choices.
Gaglione said one large Slurpee contains 90 grams of sugar
- equivalent to 22 packets of sugar. It's sweet summer drinks
like sodas, Slurpees and blended coffees, she said, that contribute
to unnecessary calories in children's and teens' diets.
As a physician who specializes in the medical treatment of
overweight and obese patients, Gaglione is familiar with the
statistics of childhood obesity. Particularly in the summer,
when children would rather stay cool inside and play video games
or watch TV, the activity levels of young people aren't enough
to burn high-calorie fast-food meals and sugary drinks.
"Activities and exercise are important, but what people
are eating is even more important," Gaglione said. "Watch
what children drink; one 20-ounce soda has 16 packets of sugar."
According to the Mayo Clinic's Web site, the annual National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children
are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.
Childhood obesity can be attributed to both nature and nurture,
Gaglione said. While there are some genetic and hormonal causes
of obesity, much of the epidemic can be attributed to children
eating too much food and exercising too little.
Parents are a large factor in changing the behaviors of their
children and the activity level of the whole family, Gaglione
said.
"We get in a rut of not restricting what our children
eat," said Gaglione, a River Walk resident who has two
children and two step-children ages 8-17.
Parents will restrict how much television their children watch,
but they won't tell their kids to eat a banana or apple for
a snack, Gaglione said. Proper behaviors are taught, like putting
on a seat belt, and most parents are not teaching their children
the principle of that's enough, she added.
Parents also can encourage their children to become more active
through riding bikes or taking walks as a family, she said.
Throughout her 14 years as an internist at the Naval Medical
Center in Portsmouth, Gaglione is troubled by how little doctors
know about how to treat obesity or document the disease's history.
She said most doctors just label it "fat" in the chart
and move on, without discussing treatment options or health
risks.
Her passion for helping people obtain specialized medical treatment
for obesity prompted Gaglione to open a private practice, Tidewater
Bariatrics, 12 weeks ago. Gaglione partners with primary care
physicians, specialists, bariatric surgeons and family members
to provide education on healthy living, nutrition and exercise
in order to bring about lifestyles changes.
"Patients can't see treatment as a temporary thing; this
is a lifestyle change," she said.
Tidewater Bariatrics staff helps patients, children and adults,
lose 40, 60 and even 100 pounds through various programs.
Gaglione's clinic offers classes during the day and night to
encourage and educate her patients throughout the weight loss
process.
"We are behind when it comes to this epidemic," Gaglione
says. "Obesity is a disease, like cancer - it's the unregulated
growth of fat cells. The biggest paradigm shift I'm hoping to
create is teaching people what to eat."
Big problem
• One in three Americans is obese, not just overweight
• Obesity is the fastest growing disease in the nation.
• In just two decades, the prevalence of overweight children
ages 6 to 11 in the U.S. doubled, and tripled for American teenagers
Source: Mayoclinic.com
Small solutions
• Eliminate sodas and fruit juices. Give children an apple
or an orange instead. Real fruit doesn't contain the high fructose
corn syrup that is added to juices.
• Cut out fast-food restaurants.
• Eat breakfast everyday.
• Find ways to incorporate activity in everyday tasks.
Have children learn spelling words while jumping jacks, take
a walk to talk or ask for push-ups when disciplining instead
of putting children in time-out.
Kristi Kastrounis,
222-5213, Kristi.kastrounis@pilotonline.com
