The upshot of these studies produced by the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Paediatric Society and many other organizations, Qaadri said, is the idea that moderation is really the key.
"Moderate fat intake as well as moderate intake of dairy products (is important)," Qaadri said. "Don't for example, do your body a disservice by never having calcium which is going to predispose you downstream to developing weak and thin bones (osteoporosis)."
At the cutting edge of science is the idea that calcium actually helps fat metabolism and does play an important role in losing weight.
"People who avoid dairy products and have low calcium not only will they have weak bones but we think because of that, the body's going to actually release particular hormones that make you store fat," Qaadri said. "So again, the upshot is moderation is the key, don't go to the extremes."
Associated with the ever increasing number of obese children is the alarming trend toward hypertension in the young.
Doctors once thought of 40 or so as the age when people could develop the adult-class problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Now they realize that kids who are obese or overweight, even during their teenage years, are developing these problems.
"One of the main evils...of modern society is the fast foods, the prepackaged dinners, always having take-out," Qaadri said. "We tell them (patients) to make healthier lifestyle choices, things like...more vegetables, more salads, more fibre and really kind of stay away from what we call the calorie-dense or the sugar-packed foods. All those things like the candies and cakes, things that really should be treats every once in a while and not a staple of your daily diet."
This generation of kids has two to three times the number of obese children as the generation before and, Qaadri said, if you give overweight kids enough time, they become overweight adults and that's when the medical problems start.
