You Are What You Eat . . . Starting From Day One!

Childhood diet alters hormones

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Research shows that childhood diets can alter for life the production of hormones that help us to ascertain when we are full.

Children scarfing down lip-smacking goodies instead of their fruits and vegetables may be setting themselves up for a lifetime of battling the bulge or even Type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.

Researchers at the University of Calgary used rats in experiments to show that diet in childhood and adolescence can permanently alter how genes react and cause changes in hormones that make you feel full.

This suggests that what you eat as a child can have a huge impact on health later in life, said author Raylene Reimer.

The researchers fed baby rats three different diets from a very young age: one with high protein, one with high fibre and one balanced.

When the rats reached adulthood they were fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet mirroring typical North American eating habits — including sugar, lard and soybean oil.

All the rats were allowed to indulge in as much junk food as they wanted. It turned out that those reared on the high-protein diet wanted a lot more — and gained much more weight and body fat — than those rats that were fed the high-fibre diet as youngsters. Those rats eating the normal, balanced diet — which Reimer said would be like following Canada’s Food Guide — stayed almost as slim as the fibre group.

“What we saw was very striking in terms of their body weights,” said Reimer. “We saw that the high-fibre diet was actually protective against obesity, whereas the high-protein diet was very much promoting obesity later on in life.”

Reimer says it comes down to how the genes we are born with are expressed. We can’t change our genetic makeup, but we can influence how our genes will react. For example, someone who is fed well in childhood will probably grow taller than someone who’s malnourished — even if both start out with the same genetic base.

In the study, the high-fibre diet caused an increase in the activity of a gene that controls the release of hormones that make you feel full.

“The diets actually affect your gene expression that then causes your body to react different. It changes the biology of your body.”

The results could explain why some people find it impossible to shed extra pounds despite dieting and exercise, while others never seem to gain an ounce, said Reimer.

A 2007 Statistics Canada survey found 16 per cent of adult Canadians were obese based on their reported weights and heights, and 32 per cent were overweight.

“This might be an explanation, first, of the rapid rise in obesity rates that’s occurred, and also why some individuals find it very much more difficult to control body weight and prevent weight gain.”

Reimer said the message from her study is that everyone, including children and pregnant women, needs to eat a balanced diet full of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Most people only get about half the fibre they need in a day, something research has shown again and again can lead to problems, she said.

“That can have implications for body weight (and) for Type 2 diabetes. Cancer, as well, has been linked to dietary fibre intake.”

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This article finally puts the question to rest as to why some people have an easier/harder time losing/gaining weight. For those of you thinking that you don't need to worry about your diet until you're older, think again. As for those with young children, do them and yourself a favour and start a healthy diet for them now!

You want to know how to incorporate fibre into your diet? It's a lot easier than you think! Below is a list, put together by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, of ways to add fibre to your diet:

1. Choose a fibre rich cereal. Choose a cereal that has at least 4 grams of fibre per serving.
2. Add a high-fibre cereal to your regular cereal. Choose a cereal that has at least 10 grams of fibre per serving and sprinkle it on your regular cereal.
3. Eat more fruit. Limit juice and try to eat the whole fruit. Have fruit for a snack or dessert. Don’t forget to eat the skin on fruits like apples and pears. That is where most of the fibre is.
4. Add one more vegetable to your diet today. Vegetables are low in calories and high in fibre and nutrition.
5. Add beans and lentils. Add beans or lentils to your tossed salad, spaghetti sauce, or soups.
6. Choose whole grain and whole wheat breads and pasta. Look for terms like “100% whole grain”, or 100% whole wheat”.
7. Add ¼ cup of wheat bran, oat bran or ground flax to your baking.
8. Use hummus or other bean dips for spreads on sandwiches instead of mustard and mayonnaise.
9. Add dried fruit, nuts or seeds to cereal, salads or yogurt.
10. Substitute half the white flour for whole wheat flour in your favorite recipes.

Remember to add fibre slowly to your diet. Switching from a low fibre to high fibre diet in one day can cause constipation and cramps.

Make sure to drink water when you are increasing your fibre intake. Aim for 6-8 cups per day.

The wonderful thing about fibre is that it keeps you full longer so you're not digging your hands into the cookie jar ten minutes later. Happy dieting!