ONE IN TEN (that's 10%) of 15 year olds in Australia has elevated levels of the liver enzyme known as ALT (alanine aminotransferase), which has been put down to fatty liver and excess body weight. These statistics are very worrying, as fatty liver is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is highly abnormal as we are talking about our young population who we still consider as children! MORE THAN ONE IN FIVE (that’s more than 20%) had high insulin levels which means they had Syndrome X or metabolic syndrome. High insulin levels cause the body to store fat and also cause fatty liver and that is why these children have great difficulty losing weight. These results come from a study of 500 year ten high school students in Sydney. This study was done by the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity and was part of the NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey. We must act now to protect the future health of our children and a few practical strategies can reverse these alarming findings. I recommend:
  1. More exercise especially at schools
  2. More raw fruits and vegetable salads in the diet
  3. A reduction of dietary intake of carbohydrates and hydrogenated vegetable oils
  4. Eating good quality protein three times daily
For more information see – “I can't lose weight! ...and I don't know why” or the same book in the USA, which is titled “Unlock The Secrets that Keep You Fat". These books provide a low carbohydrate eating plan which is suitable for adults and children and the recipes in the 12 week weight loss plan are nutritious and delicious.