A recent study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrated the decreasing activity of children as they become adolescents. This may play a large roll in the obesity epidemic that has been noted in the United States as well as other countries. Read about it at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/15/teen.fitness.ap/index.html
The low carb diet has been shown in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine to offer the greatest weight loss and a significant lowering of cholesterol levels compared to a low fat diet. The Mediterranean diet, while not showing as much weight loss, was also found to be effective. Low carb diets have not been extensively evaluated in children but for older children and adolescents may be a strategy that could be used. Read about it at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/16/dueling.diets.ap/index.html
and at:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/3/229
For further information on this topic, please see our Overweight article.