The Big Apple's City Council Launches a New Weight Loss Plan for Young New Yorkers

In an attempt to get a grip on the bulging waistlines of its young people, the City Council of New York City created The BODY project, which stands for Banishing Obesity and Diabetes in Our Youth, reports Amy Zimmer in Metro New York.

The $6.5 million initiative will screen 7,400 high schoolers at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and pre-diabetes, and then offer personalized diet and lifestyle programs to help. They'll be tested at New York University's School of Medicine.

Clearly New York's kids need the assistance. NYU's Antonio Convit, M.D. -- who, Connie interviewed for her book SUGAR SHOCK! -- told the reporter that 30% -- or 90,000 --  of New York's 300,000 high schoolers are obese and that 30% of them will ultimately develop pre-diabetes.

Aside from the likelihood that a pre-diabetic youngster will become diabetic, pre-diabetes affects how glucose gets to the brain, Dr. Convit explains.

“The only fuel the brain can use is glucose,” he said in Zimmer's story. “If the brain is not getting enough fuel, cognition goes down.”  (Dr. Convit went into more detail with Connie in SUGAR SHOCK! about this subject. For instance, he told her, "You can lose some of your brain function if you don't exercise sufficiently and eat properly.")

Now, the absolute last thing teenagers need is something to muddy their thinking. Between raging hormones and trying to learn at school, adolescent brains are under enough strain without adding a glucose problem to the mix.

The problems of childhood obesity are even more serious, though. Zimmer's piece also mentions that frequent "Oprah" guest Mehmet Oz, M.D., the prominent heart surgeon and bestselling author (with Michael Roizen, M.D.) of You: The Owner's Manual and You: On a Diet) started the nonprofit group called HealthCorps three years ago.

HealthCorps sends college kids to New York and New Jersey high schools to teach them about exercise and healthy eating, and the organizstion recently expanded its reach from 11 schools to 28, Zimmer writes.

Dr. Oz (who endorsed Connie's book SUGAR SHOCK!, by the way) decided to act against childhood obesity when he "started to crack the chests of 25-year-olds," he said. Dr. Oz added that battling obesity “is not just a weight issue. It’s our nation mortgaging our future,” according to Zimmer's article.

The thought of 25-year-olds having heart attacks and teenagers getting type 2 diabetes is truly frightening. But we know how to prevent these problems from ever cropping up. We just have to commit ourselves to doing it.

The BODY project is a good first step. I hope that New York City's politicians and health officials will think of more ways to help all our kids stay healthy and strong, from high school students to preschoolers. After all, $6.5 million is a very, very small price to pay to keep our kids alive and well.

From Jennifer Moore for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog