Dietary and Metabolic Acids Cause Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia, Diabetes and Obesity

Children who lead acidic inactive lifestyles are
five-to-six times more likely to be at serious
risk of heart dis-ease, with that degree of danger
emerging as early as their teenage years, according
to a new study by researchers at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The findings, published Friday (April 4) in the
open access journal Dynamic Medicine, looked at
a group of children twice - first while in grade
school, then again seven years later when they
were in their teens.

Researchers wanted to know more about the early
onset of dietary and metabolic acid syndrome, an
acidic condition more commonly found in adults.
Dieatry and metabolic acidic syndrome is the label
given to a clustering of acidic conditions that
raise the risk of heart dis-ease and diabetes,
such as glucose intolerance, hypertension,
elevated triglycerides, low HDL (so-called "good")
cholesterol and obesity. Previous studies have
found that somewhere from four percent to nine
percent of adolescents have the condition.

However, until now, no one had tracked the same
group of children over time to see just how
fitness and activity levels in their early years
played a role in the likelihood of them developing
dietary and metabolic acidic syndrome by the time
they were teenagers, according to Robert McMurray,
professor of exercise and sports science in the
department of exercise and sports science in UNC's
College of Arts and Sciences.

The study looked at data from almost 400 children
between the ages of seven and 10 from across North
Carolina. Researchers measured factors such as height,
body mass, percentage body fat, blood pressure and
cholesterol levels. Participants were also surveyed
about their physical activity and given an aerobic
fitness test.

When the same children were examined again seven years
later, 4.6 percent had three or more characteristics of dietary and metabolic acid syndrome.

McMurray said adolescents with the syndrome were six
times more likely to have had low aerobic fitness as
children and five times more likely to have low levels
of physical activity at the time they joined the
study.

For example, as children, those who had low levels of
physical activity got no vigorous exercise (such as
playing basketball or soccer) and spent less than
20 minutes a day doing moderate-intensity physical
activity (walking briskly, riding a bike at a medium
speed). That means that at best, they were getting
just one-third of the 60 minutes a day that is
currently recommended for children by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This shows efforts need to begin early in childhood
to increase exercise," he said. "Children today live
a very sedentary life and are prone to obesity. This
is the first study to examine the importance of
childhood fitness levels on your metabolism as a
teenager. Previously we didn't know if low fitness
levels were an influence."

"It's obvious now that there is a link and this is
something which we need to pay attention to by
encouraging our kids to keep fit, or suffer the
consequences later in life," said McMurray.

According to Dr. Robert O. Young, a research
scientist at the pH Miracle Living Center, stated,
"dietary and metabolic acidic syndrome
is a name of several conditions, including hypertension,
diabetes and obesity caused by poor lifestyle and
dietary choices. If you want to be healthy and
fit you have to alkalize and exercise your body
every day. The best way to maintain the alkaline
design of the body and prevent the conditions of
dietary and metabolic acidic syndrome is with the
pH Miracle Lifestyle and Diet."

To learn more about the pH Miracle Lifestyle and Diet
for children and adults read, The pH Miracle,
The pH Miracle for Diabetes and The pH Miracle
for Weight Loss.

www.phmiracleliving.com