New Diet Shows Promising Results In Children

Teen Tries Cutting Out Refined Grains

UPDATED: 12:53 p.m. EDT August 21, 2003

link to article

BOSTON -- You've heard of a low-fat diet, you've heard of the Atkins Diet, now a new diet is being used with remarkable success in children.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that researchers at Children's Hospital say it's not only helping obese kids lose weight, it's reducing the risk of a dangerous disease.

Bobby Bilodeau, 13, is a star baseball player, but what hasn't been a hit for him is his growing weight problem.

"It started when I was like 7 or 8, and I noticed that it affects me in my sports, so I wanted to do something about it," Bobby said.

"I was worried about his self-esteem as he becomes a teenager. And I'm mostly concerned about the potential for diabetes and heart disease and all those other conditions that we're seeing more and more of," Bobby's mother, Mary-Liz Bilodeau, said.

Now, Bobby will try something new -- a low-glycemic diet that focuses on cutting out refined grains.

"White bread, white rice, prepared breakfast cereals, potato products may cause rapid rise in blood sugar, which a few hours later causes blood sugar to drop off sometimes into a very low range. That may stimulate hunger and promote overeating," Children's Hosptial's Dr. David Ludwig said.

In a small study published this month, the researchers compared a low-glycemic diet to a traditional low-fat diet. After one year, the group on the new diet lost 11 more pounds of body fat mass than those on the low-fat diet. Even more important, they showed improvement in risk factors for type two diabetes, a major concern in overweight children.

"Weight loss by itself is the single most important way of preventing Type 2 diabetes. But diet may also have other beneficial affects on diabetes risk, even without weight loss, by taking some of the stress off the cells of the body that produces insulin," Ludwig said.

To follow a low glycemic diet, switch that morning bagel for eggs and dark toast, trade in a baked potato for brown rice and for a snack, replace raisins with nuts.

Bobby hopes to lose 20 pounds on the diet.

"They'll be difficult, but I want to make them. I like the chips with salsa and that kind of stuff, but if I have to make a change, I will," Bobby said.

Researchers are now doing a follow-up 18-month long study.

They're looking for 100 children between the ages of 8 and 12 with at least one overweight parent. If you'd like more information, contact Children's Hospital at 617-355-2500.