xt7c2f7jtb4k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7c2f7jtb4k/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 2004 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research and Graduate Studies, Fall 2004 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research and Graduate Studies, Fall 2004 2004 2004 2026 true xt7c2f7jtb4k section xt7c2f7jtb4k  

 Lee T. Todd in, Resident
Wendy Baldwin. Executive Vice President for Research

DehvoodCCoflins. SeniorAssodateVice President
for Reseadi and mfrasimaure

iosephLFinkiii, SeniorAssoddei/ice President
forkeseardiandEcormicDevelopment

Agriculture
M. Scott Smith. Dean

Msandsaences
StevenHoch,Dean

Businessand Economics
Devanathan Sudharshan, Dean

Communtcamns
andinformaltonStudiei

"om”hm'oea" University of Kentucky Research

Datum
Sharonmxrnewean Fall 2004

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A Big Fat Problem

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Around 30 percent of children ages 6 to 11 in this

Carolyn A Wililams, Dean
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“WM W‘s'Dea" country are overweight. Among adolescents, 30 per-

 

  
 
 
 

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StephenW‘WYatt. Dean cent are overweight and nearly 16 percent obese.

gym W University of Kentucky scientists and clinicians are

more active than ever in ii htin what the CDC is

Odyssey . “ . . ,, . .

9mm calling an epidemic. From basrc scrence to strength-

:rhwe‘s training to long-term weight-loss programs, UK re-

Jeff Woriey searchers are helping our kids go from fat to fit. 2

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John Parks talks about his vision for the 735-acre UK Coldstream
Research Campus and what it has to offer pharmaceutical, ag
biotech and manufacturing businesses. 24

  

        
   
     
 
      
     
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
   

Confronting Stroke

Researchers in the UK Stroke Pro-
gram are taking part in a clinical
trial of a drug based on a clot-bust-
ing compound in bat saliva, find-
ing out ifaspirin, Plavix and rigorous
blood pressure control will prevent strokes more effectively
than aspirin alone, and analyzing videotapes to see if
targeted therapy can help stroke patients improve language
skills. 33;

Top Drug Abuse Researcher Now at UK

With more than 15 years’ experience working on the long-
term effects of chronic substance abuse on neurocognitive
functions, psychology professor Sara Jo Nixon has launched
two new projects at UK. 3’;

Lisa Cliggett: At Home in Zambia

This UK anthropologist has support through 2005 from a
$200,000 NSF grant to study how the migration and farming
practices of the Gwembe Tonga people are transforming
Zambia’s landscape. 3,3:

2004-2005 University Research Professors
Subbarao Bondada: Inhibiting Lymphoma Growth

Bruce Webb: Linking Insects and Illness

Enrico Mario Santi: Octavio Paz’s Intellect and Poetry
Peter D. Hislop: Modeling Conductivity

Students build solar car - new College of
Medicine dean - national award named for
Joe Fink~ KGS map—making milestone - Kevin
Burberry awards - new KWRRI director 1.2:

 
 

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Flesh Wounds:

The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery
by Virginia Blum

    
 
  
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
   

 

 

A Big is

 

at Prob em

From basic science to strength-training to long-term weight-loss programs,
UK researchers are working to help our kids go from fat to fit

\\titten 1M Jelt \\oi|e\

nr eonntrfx's ehildren are fat. No. make that FAT,
And nnlessyon‘veheen1i\'ingin£1t'ti\'t\)’oii know
this.

The Burger >n General and the (‘enters for Disease (‘ontrol
and Prevention are now nsing the terms “epidemie’ and
”erisis" to deserihe onr ehildren‘s eolleetn'e waistline. (lnr
prohlem is immense: onr problem is immensity.

1n lnne. Tillie magazine ran a ZTipage artiele. titled
".»\merieas ()l>esit\' ('risis.” eiting a hlizzard of depressing
statisties tor hoth adnlts and children, And though the
mnnhers tor adults are shr)ekingitwothirds of l .8 adults
are otiieially o\'eiweight and ahont halt ot those have
moved on to hill-blown obesity—the obesity nnmhers for
adoleseents and ehildren are Illlll(1vltllllll)111§_{.

'1‘wenty years ago in the l‘nited States. 3 pereent ot kids
were overweight: today 13 pereent are and another 13
percent are headed that way. Aeeording to the Anieriean

(lhesity Assoeiation. approxnnateh' Illl pen ent otr Inldien
rages ti to 11 t in this eonnhy are memeight. and among
adoleseents(ages 12 to 1511. i111 pereent are r nemeight. and
nearly 1o pereent are olrese. as determined M the luod\
mass index pereentile. The pre\alenee ot ultesm has dnar
drnpled in the last 33 years among hoth 11lt§5 and girls

1n Kt‘iihiek)‘. things are e\'en worse .»\s reported 1w .liin
Warren and Mary Meehan in a meg/on Hr‘l‘rI/(l'ilz’tlr/W
artiele last .lnne. Kentneky heeame the it inrth tattest state in
the nation this year. Nearly a quarter of Kentnekys adnlts
paek aronnd ill) or more exeess pounds. and a qnarter ot
Kentneky's [WKLSC1101)1(‘l'5—{lll(1 almost halt its sixth grade
ersiare memeight. or at risk of lweoniing so. More than
11.3 pereent of l\'entnek_\' high sehoolers are menx'eight.
eompared with 111.3 pereent nationwide. aeeording to the
Kentneky (11>esitV l‘lpidemie 3001 report. pnlrlished h\' the
KentnekV Department for Pnhlie llealth, Kentnek)‘. the

       
   
  
  
 
 
 
  
     
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    

   

l’llany Human,

a senior at l’aul
laurenr e Dunbar
lligh Sr hool in

lmington, has lost
.’ 4% pounds slnr e

joiningl lx's l lealth
\\anageittent

Resourt es ll |\\Rl

 

pit igrani last january

What IS Body weight in pounds X 703 Status

(height in inches)2 Below 18.5 Underweight

M358 II‘IdeX? 18.5-24.9 Normal

Example: ’____._—
25.0-29.9 Overweight

héighe': (71 in)? X 0 ' 30.0-39.9 Obese

Note: Body mass index is a more accurate measurement than weight because it W

takes into account that short people tend to weigh less than tall people. But it’s not
perfect: The BMI of extremely muscular athletes is often in the obese range.

report concluded. is raising the most unfit generation in the commt)nwealth's history.

()nr kids werent always so fat. What happened‘.’

"The statistics out there for kids and adolescents are just frightening." says James
Anderson. longtime professor of internal medicine at the University of Kentucky and a
weight-h iss expert. "I think one major factor contributing to the explosion of obesity in
children in this country is the ready availability of inexpensive. tasty foods. You know.
yr >11 go illit ) homes and you see snack food all over. You see candy. You see chips. You
see crackers. You see all these high—fat foods that are just hard to get away from."

In a sense. were the victims of our own abundance. Food. both nutritious and non—
nutritious. falls easily into our grocery carts and is literally at our fingertips. All we have
to do is punch up a pizza number. and minutes later someones at the door with a
steaming pie.

Sect )ndly. Anderson says. there has been a systematic reduction in physical activity.
Kids rarely walk to school anymt>re—parents will drive their kids a half-block with the
excuse that walking isn't safe. Add to this the fact. as reported by Time. that in 1969. 80
percent of kids played sports everyday: today 20 percent do. in most gym classes in our
public schools. kids are aerobically active for just three minutes. lfthey have gym at all.
In one Lexington public school. some seventh and eighth graders take no gym classes
at all.

“The third thing that impacts on the first two factors is the electronic age."
Anderson continues. "Children are watching 2 1/; hours of television a day. Teensare
on the Internet for hours instant messaging. Then. there are video games. I think
these things are the magnetsthat have contributed to the lack of physical activity and
also. of course. these passive activities enhance the appeal of snack food."

But these are children and teens. They live at home under rules made by theirparents.
right’.’ So. why are kids being allowed to do things that set them on the road to obesity”?

 James Anderson. who has helped
t. hildtcn and teens take off \\=tlel‘tl
for o\ er 20 years through HO:
HMR program, tulle; with participant

lif’lanv Dunr an.

Too many parents. directly or tacitly, give their children
permission to stay riveted to variousscreens for long periods
of time and to forego exercise. says Sharon Barton, an
associate professor of nursing at UK who has worked with
school-age children for 35 years. And Barton. an expert in
infants and childrens nutrition, has a lot to say about
parental permissiveness and how it leads to obesity among
kids and teens.

lve found that in working with children who are over»
weight or have eating issues. parents often think that chil-
dren desenze particular food items. They need popsicles,
They need ice cream. They need Little Debbie Snack Cakes.
One physician l know who works with overweight kids will
pull parents aside and say. ‘Would you purchase cigarettes
and give them to your liveyearbld? Well. you‘re essentially
doing the same thing by giving them Little Debbies,”

The problem is not only parental passivity. Anderson
says. ln addressing the obesity problem. even professionals
on children’s and teens‘ health tend to drop the ball.

“Unfortunately, in our current mindset. we are giving
children permission to become obese,“ says Anderson.
“We're so womed about traumatizing them bysaying they're
overweight. Too many of our ‘experts' in children and
adolescent behavior and nutrition say ‘Let’s just watch.
Let’s not make a diagnosis right now. Let‘s just watch.’
“The current authorities. the experts at the NlH and the

 
   
   
   
   
    
   
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
   
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
   

  

American Pediatric Society. for example. say. ‘Well. if you
label a child obese. you may trigger anorexia. You may
cause an eating disorder. so let‘s just not mention it.“
ignoring the problem. Anderson adds. is no solution be
cause it‘s fairly easy to predict which obese teens will
become obese adults. lf a teen is above the 83th percentile
on the body mass index profile. that teen has about a 95
percent chance of being an obese adult.

Then there are the schools. Fifty years ago. very few
schools around the country had vending machines. lf you
wanted to have a Coke with lunch. you had to bring it with
you from home. Now. flashing like a row of has Vegas slots.
vendingmachinesbeckonfromthehallwaysr)fourschrfols.
And the products in these machines. theirallure to a captive
audience enhanced by billions of dollars of advertising
each year. tend to contain only empty calories that translate
into fat.

Schools in particular “have become nutritional disaster
areas." says David Ludwig. a Harvard pediatrician who
directstheobesityprogram at Children’sHospital in Boston.
“We as a society have abdicated responsibility for teaching
kids how to eat right and how to have an active lifestyle."
Ludwig‘s research shows that for every additional daily
serving of a soft drink, a child's risk of becoming obese rises
60 percent.

“There are lots of societal factors contributing to obesity.

 

    

and since children are so yulnerable and change the most

 
 

rapidly. they are the most yisible in our countrys obesity
explosion." Anderson says. And there are societal costs.

What Are the Costs of Obesity?

Rememberthe fattest kid in fourth gratlel’Theone wht iwas
the butt t Jf practical jr >kes and the target of ugly nicknames?
The one always picked last on the pltgiyground'? Obesity.

rected toward an oyerWeight kid can leave permanent

clearly. can he a boulder in the road to a child's socializa
tioii and selfcsteem. The slings and arrows of Words di-

  
  
     
   
    
   
    
    
   
 
      

psychological scars.

lt wouldnt be such a big deal if the problem were only a
kid‘s confit’lence or looks. But there‘s a lot more to it than
that. According to the CDC. our nation spent an estimated
$75 billion last year treating health problems of children
and adults related to obesity. In 2003. 6.2 percent of all
Kentucky's medical expenses went to treating t'ibesity—re
lated health problems. As reported in the Lexington Hera/(fl
Lem/er. Medicare picked up about $270 million of that tab.
and Medicaid. which seryes the poor. shelled out another
$340 million This works out to a cost of about $85 for every

“Children are watching 2 ‘I2 hours of television a day. Teens are on the Internet for
hours instant messaging. There are video games. I think these things are the magnets
that have contributed to the lack of physical activity and also, of course, these passive

activities enhance the appeal of snack food.”—James Anderson

  

man. woman and child in our state.
And as we'ye known now for a long time. obesity is a
fertile breeding ground for chronic diseases like type 3
diabetes. cardioyascular disease and arthritis. it is causally
connected to cancers including endometrial cancer. some
’ breast cancers. colon and kidney cancer: and obesity also
instigates sleep apnea. gall bladder disease. back and joint

disorders. and depression,

“And this is just the short list for where obesity can lead.“
says Anderson. who thinks that in his work with oyerweight
children and teens. diabetes isthe most important concern.

used to see very few children or teens with type 2
but now it’s alarming how many adolescents are
_ developing type 2." The obesitydiabetes link is so strong
- that his colleague L. Raymond Reynolds. an associate
‘ professor of internal medicine at UK. often uses the term
‘ “diabesity” to convey how interrelated they are.
Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance. a condi—
in which the body fails to use insulin properly. com-
bined with relative insulin deficiency. (Type 1 diabetes
results from the body's failure to produce insulin. the hor
mone that unlocksthe cells of the body. allowing glucose to
enter and fuel them.) Most Americans diagnosed with
diabetes have type 2. Get this: Prior to 1990. of all cases of
diabetesin children. just 4 percent were type 2: now. type 2
diabetes in children and adolescents accounts for a whop

        
  
  
   
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

        
   

ping 45 percent of cases.
according to the American
Diabetes Association.

Leslie Scott. a pediatric nurse at the University of Ken—
tucky Medical Center who earned a PhD. in nursing from
UK earlier this year, is an expert on type 2 diabetes in
children. “I’ve always loved working with kids" says Scott.
who has been a clinical pediatrics faculty member here
since 1998. “When I became a nurse practitionerin 1995. the
children we followed in the pediatric endocrine clinic
primarily had type 1 diabetes, But even then we were seeing
significant increases. almost year-tiryear. in the number of
children with type 2 diabetes."

Scott. who became a pediatric diabetes nurse educatorin
1994. was inspired to dedicate herselfto a careerof diabetes-
related work for a reason very close to home. Her mother
had diabetes from the age of it) and lost her sight at 32 as a
complication ofthe disease. Scott. in living with hermother‘s
disease and being in regular contact with diabetes educa-
tors through the years. learned that education really can
make an impact on how people manage the disease.

“I wanted to try to prevent kids from suffering complica-
tions like my mother did at such a young age. i thought that
if we could affect a family at that level. at a young age. and
implement good habits and good management skills. we
could prevent complications down the road."

Preventing health problems. This is the goal of dozens of
clinicians and researchers at UK working to better under—
stand childhood and adolescent obesity. This work involves

  
 
  
 
 
   
     

Health Management
Resourtes (I Rik), head-
quartered in Boston,
specializes in meal,
replacement products

that are |o\\ in (alorics

disciplines.departments
and colleges allacrossthe UK carn-
pus. Here are a few of the projects and pro
grams currently under way.

Special Meals to Melt Away
the Pounds

James Anderson has been helping children and teens take
off weight for over 20 years. and he admits he and his staff
have had their share of challenges.

“I’ve seen l()-year»old. ZOO—pound children. I‘ve seen an
11-year—old. BOO—pound girl. a 350—pound 13 year old. and
a couple of adolescents who weighed 500 pounds."
Anderson says. "And it‘s been very gratifying towork with
these kids through our HMR program and see them shed
significant weight."

HMR is the acronym for Health Management Resources.
a national healthcare company in Boston thatspecializes in
programs for weight and health management, HMR pro
vides programs to healthcare professionals in more than
400 medically supervised weight—management programs
nationwide Anderson heads up UK‘s l lMR program. which
began in 1985.

“The great thing about using these products.“ Anderson
says exuberantly. “is that this way we don’t have to put
anyone on a liquid diet. and there are quite a few meal
choices.“ Entrees. with vegetal’>les. include chicken creole,
turkey chili and chicken pasta parrnesan. and are typically
220 calories. Bars (160) and milkshakes (120) are also

 

    

 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 

available. “This is the easiest diet to follow. because it
requires so few decisions about what to eat."

l lere's how the program W( irks. Each week while on this
low-calorie diet. the patients attend a meinute group
session led by a trained health educator. In these sessions.
some of the basic program fundamentals are taught: spe—
citic "how It is“ of weight loss. including easy waysto lower
fat and calories in the diet without feeling hungry. and

attend weekly class during this time.

“The results were really impressive." Anderson says.
"Weight loss in this group averaged 33.6 pounds. with 31 of
the teens losing more than 10 percent of their initial body
weight and 16 kids losing more than 20 percent." For 16 of
the adolescents who had BMls over 40. which put them in
the morbidly obese class. weight loss averaged right at 50
pounds. One adolescent lost 176 pounds during this 18»

Menty years ago in the United States, 5 percent of kids were
overweight; today 15 percent are and another 15 percent are

headed that way.

  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   

simple strategies to build physical activity into the daily
routine.

The Wt‘lgllt’los‘s phase of the program comes next. This
typically lasts ft >r art )und 18 Weeks. The last stage is mainte—
nance. during which participants attend weekly classes to
ctintinnettireceivesupp