Smart choices boost kids’ mental health
Around 20 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds now have prediabetes — and we suspect an alarming number of kids even younger are on that hazardous glide path. These youngsters may develop persistently elevated insulin levels and new research reveals that can harm their mental health.
Scientists at Cambridge University tracked over 10,000 people to study how insulin levels and body mass index in childhood correlates with depression and psychosis in young adulthood. They found that persistently high insulin levels from mid-childhood were linked with a higher chance of developing psychosis as an adult. They also found an increase in BMI around the onset of puberty was linked with a higher chance of developing depression as an adult, especially for girls.
For their future happiness, it’s essential that you help your children get at least an hour of physical activity daily and eat a diet that maintains a healthy weight. That means cutting out highly processed foods, added sugars and syrups, red meats and any grain that isn’t 100 percent whole.
Misinformation and diabetes
A recent study declared “high doses of saccharin don’t lead to diabetes in healthy adults.” That’s misleading in so many ways.
■ Many people with serious health issues consider themselves healthy. For example, while 60 percent of seniors have one or more chronic medical condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, 82 percent of them rate their health as excellent, very good or good. They may mistakenly think this study’s findings apply to them.
■ In this country, few people meet the “healthy adults” standards that the researchers used: a body mass index of around 22, HDL in the upper 50s, a glucose reading in the upper 80s or low 90s. Instead, 74 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese; over 100 million have diabetes or prediabetes (elevated glucose levels); and around 45 million don’t meet the HDL target.
■ Other studies have found that artificial sweeteners may tip the balance into diabetes — especially if using them makes you think you can eat more ultra-processed foods than before!
The smart choice is to enjoy sweet flavors from whole fruits and 70 percent cacao chocolate (1 ounce a day). You want to retrain your taste buds to love the food that loves you back — not trick ’em with fake flavors and nutrition-empty calories.