Even with all this focus on diet foods and proper nutrition, the problem was just not going away. The National Institutes of Health spent a lot of money on two large and rigorous studies. After studying thousands of kids for years in this intervention where they did everything that they thought was needed, there was no difference in the kids' weights.
Recent advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a bold approach to treating the millions of children in the United States who are affected by obesity. Counseling, drug treatment and even surgery should be considered, the group says.
The guidelines are a response to a deeper understanding of what obesity is — and what to do about it.
Guest: Gina Kolata, a medical reporter for The New York Times.
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