OBESITY, EXERCISE & OFF-ROAD CYCLING

Mark Rosenzweig, M.D., F.A.C.C.U.R.M.C.GROC

Obesity Epidemic

2/3 of Americans are overweight (BMI over 25) 16% of kids are obese (BMI > 30) Obesity causes Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes,

Hypertension, Lipid disorders, and can lead to heart attacks, heart failure and sleep apnea

Children are now developing cardiac enlargement and reduced cardiac twist, type 2 diabetes and thickening of arterial walls (vascular aging)

“The obesity epidemic in adolescents is the biggest adverse time bomb we’ve got going on in coronary disease.” Lee Goldman, M.D., Columbia Univ.

By 2035, 100,000 additional cases of heart disease will occur due to present childhood obesity—in spite of advances in technology

Danish study showed that the higher the BMI in children measured in 1930, the higher the rate of heart disease in adulthood now

Why are we fat?

Less smoking Sedentary occupations Two income households Single family households Transportation and infrastructure changes that discourage

physical activity Fewer PE classes and extracurricular sports programs More sedentary entertainment Cheaper food More sweetened drinks More TV and computer face time More fat intake

Can exercise help?

Diet combined with exercise is more effective than either diet or exercise alone in effecting weight loss

Physical activity counseling is a more effective and inexpensive alternative to traditional structured programs for weight loss

Visceral fat-- the one most closely related to vascular disease-- preferentially responds to high intensity exercise

A study in obese children showed that regular exercise reduced weight, improved insulin sensitivity and metabolic risk factors. That the effect only lasted as long as the subjects maintained exercise points to the need to build habits for a lifetime

Self esteem is lower in obese children and suicidal ideations as high as 27%. Supervised exercise improves psychopathologic outcome and leads to increased activity relative to usual care

155 to 180 minutes per week of moderate to high intensity exercise reduces body fat in obese children

How Healthful is Off-Road Cycling?

Mountain biking uses more muscle groups, climbing, turning and descending, and is more intense than running

Low impact on joints Even new cyclists covering short distances

can reduce risk of cardiac death by 22% Mtn. biking is an interval training activity, which

is better than constant activity for conditioning Mtn. bikers have higher bone density than

road bikers, presumably by more osteogenic stimulus

Summary

Obesity at any age is a grave health risk, but even greater for children, because of the longer term consequences

Many factors promote obesity and deconditioning

Off-road cycling is a growing activity that can improve health and is available to a wide range of ages and levels of athletic interests and abilities

Access to resources for off-road cycling is vital to public health