A 6-month Family-based, Intense Lifestyle Intervention Program and Carotenoid Supplementation for Children With Obesity: A Pilot Study

The spread of childhood obesity across all ethnic and socioeconomic classes in North America is alarming. The close link between morbid obesity and type II diabetes (T2DM) and in childhood is undisputed fact and recent statistics reported by the American Diabetes Association suggest that newly diagnosed cases are on the rise. The link between decreased exercise, increased calorie and fat intake, decrease intake of fruits and vegetables and increased frequency of T2DM are well established. Complications of child obesity include risks for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even some cancers. The lack of fruit and vegetable consumption may be responsible for specific nutrient deficiencies such as low β-carotene, which has recently been identified as an important regulator of body fat. Nemours and Wolfson Children's Hospital have taken the initiative to explore factors that contribute to childhood obesity including well controlled studies examining the effects of intensive nutritional and behavioral education, healthy eating and increased exercise as ways to help prevent the rise in childhood obesity. This study aims to institute an intensive 2 week in-patient intervention which will serve as a model for behavioral changes required in children and families to successfully address the rapid progression of obesity. We will administer a supplement of β-carotene and follow the changes in abdominal fat accumulation over six months. At the third week of intervention we will obtain a blood sample that will determine if any beneficial changes have already taken place in white blood cells that clear cholesterol from the arteries using genetic testing. At the end of the study we will compare the amount of abdominal fat that accumulates or decreases in each subject. An intensive educational program that leads to healthy eating and the habitual exercise for the whole family will help promote significant benefits in the rate of weight gain and delay the progression to diabetes.