Know When to Say When: Alcohol and Your Liver
APR 02, 2024The liver normally breaks down alcohol, but if the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the liver's ability to break it down, toxins can build up to cause liver damage over time.
Read MorePandemic habits of staying home and snacking more didn’t help anyone’s waistlines, and that includes kids.
Childhood obesity was already a serious problem in the US, where it was found to affect about 14.4 million or 19.3% of all children and adolescents in 2017-2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Obesity is not the same thing as being overweight. Any child above the 95th percentile of weight for their age is considered obese. That means a 10-year-old boy of average height (56 inches) who weighs 102 pounds would have a BMI in the 95th percentile with a BMI greater than 95% of similar boys.
Children from the 5th to less than 85th percentile are considered of healthy weight. From 85th to less than 95th is considered overweight.
Obesity isn’t just about size, it’s about health. The 95th percentile and above was chosen for obesity because that is the level at which a child is more likely to be at risk of developing:
Being obese can also be hard on kids emotionally and has been found to be related to anxiety and depression, risk of being bullied socially and low self-esteem and self-reported quality of life.
Turning around the habits that can lead to obesity is a family project which should be led by parents. Your health care provider can provide the education you need to make healthier choices. Things parents can do to encourage positive habits include:
Don’t wait, start today. It’s much harder to get weight under control the older you get. The healthy habits you adopt as a family today will benefit your children’s health well into adulthood – and it’s good for you, too.
Learn more about CHI Health resources for weight loss and wellness.
The liver normally breaks down alcohol, but if the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the liver's ability to break it down, toxins can build up to cause liver damage over time.
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Read MoreWhen you need local health information from a trusted source, turn to the CHI Health Better You eNewsletter.