The big fat reason why Pinoy kids are overweight or obese

Ever wondered why some kids, as young as three to five years old, are already overweight or obese? The big fat culprit could be the milk they’re drinking.  This, and more, we found out at a media talk hosted by Nankid Optipro Four and Nankid Optipro HW Four at Le Jardin restaurant in Bonifacio Global City, where we enjoyed chef Jonas Ng’s superb lunch while chewing on enlightening words of wisdom from experts Dr. Kristine Marie Gutierrez and Dr. Gari Astrologio.

First of all, allow us to repeat this incontrovertible fact: Breast milk is best for babies.

So now, allow us to share some vital notes we gathered from the media talk: “Milk plays a crucial role in the growth and development of children. And that’s because milk contains protein, a macronutrient that provides energy, an essential building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Milk is also crucial to brain development and the production of enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals.”

Ditas Sagarbarria, nutrition adviser of Nestle, adds, “As recommended by the Food Nutrition and Research Institute, a child above three to five years old would only need 20 grams of protein, but when you look at certain milk brands, one glass would already offer as much as nine grams. If a child takes milk three times a day, that’s already 27 grams, and then he starts eating chicken meat. So you can just imagine how excessive his protein intake is and anything in excess, the body has to process. Proteins still contain calories, and so, at the end of the day, it will still be stored in the body as fat, and we’re wondering why our children are overweight, growing not only vertically but also horizontally.”

More from our notes: “A European Childhood Obesity Project done in several European Union countries showed that children with a higher protein intake, particularly from dairy or milk, during their first two years of life had a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) at age six. This higher BMI is associated with a higher risk of obesity in adulthood.  Moreover, an earlier adiposity rebound, or the normal increase in body fat before the age of six, is also associated with a higher risk of obesity.

“Not all proteins are created equal, so it is important to ensure that milk contains optimized protein — a high-quality protein that offers an adequate amount of essential amino acids at a lower protein quantity level to achieve child’s optimal growth and development advantage. It also helps reduce the risk of obesity and other related diseases, promotes healthy weight gain as well as a healthier cardiovascular system. Optimized protein with hydrolyzed whey, meanwhile, has been proven to help reduce the risk of allergies by 50 percent.”

For healthy kids above three years old, Nestle’s Nankid Optipro Four and Nankid Optipro HW Four are formulated with optimized protein to ensure optimal weight advantage and optimal development advantage. Nankid Optipro HW Four also contains partially hydrolyzed whey, giving kids optimal digestion advantage and protection against allergies.

I’m sharing precious notes from my interviews with Dr. Kristine Marie Gutierrez, who’s a concerned mom, and pediatrician Dr. Gari Astrologio, who confesses he was an oveweight child:

Dr. Gari: “There’s no exact age recommended as to up to when a mom can breastfeed. No governing body to say when to stop. WHO (World Health Organization) says at least give breast milk for six months, that would be the most beneficial for the baby. But we have moms on extended breastfeeding — three years old and beyond, but it depends on the culture, the environment, and the condition of the mother, which will identify when to stop.”

Dr. Gari on obesity: “You can see the trend, it’s going up, five percent of 0 to five years age group is already overweight. The tendency is, if you have this high BMI during the first three years of life, the child would grow to be overweight or obese.”

Dr. Kristine: “I tell the parents that  being obese is also being malnourished. People think that being malnourished is simply being payat. I also tell them to be aware, so they have to do something about it.”

Dr. Gari: “In the Philippines, we’re confronted with a double-edge sword: On one end of the spectrum, we have obese children; on the other end, we have stunted children, yung maliliit na bata. But now, obesity is catching up. Even at a younger age, it has cascaded down to the toddler-age group. The No. 1 reason that they saw was the excessive protein. But genes play a big role, too, as well as the lifestyle of the parents; at two years old, they already adopt the lifestyle of the parents.

“Yes, milk can cause obesity in children. It depends on the type of milk. It’s only now that we’re introducing the concept, it’s actually a brave concept. Although the concept was laid down in the 1990s, it took the experts many years for the study, and they were able to release the results only recently.”

Meet the Nestle team: Jean Espino, consumer marketing lead; Arlene Tan Bantoto, country business manager; Gen Gonzales, consumer marketing manager - Optipro HW; Charisse Dilla, consumer marketing manager - Optipro

Dr. Kristine: “The basic concept was more protein, better growth.  That was before. And it’s the fats and carbos that cause obesity, although they can contribute. What they found with the new science is the one that greatly contributes to obesity, aside from the fats and carbos, is the protein.”

Dr. Gari: “Milk is the baby’s staple. And there are some unfortunate circumstances where moms are not able to breastfeed, maybe they have organic diseases that will not allow them. The protein level of breast milk conforms to the demand of the infant. As early as two months, you will see the drop in the protein requirement of the infant so the breast milk, amazingly, follows that.”

Dr. Kristine: “That’s how good nature is, it follows the needs of the baby.”

Dr. Gari: “When you give this milk formula for quite sometime, you have a steady protein amount. When you give breast milk, it goes down with the demands of the infant. On the other hand, you’re giving excessive protein with milk formula. Moms tend to think the more protein they give, the better.”

Dr. Kristine: “It’s not the amount, it’s the more appropriate protein.”

Dr. Gari: “The quality should approximate (I cannot say at par) that of breast milk and the quantity as well.”

Dr. Kristine: “It’s really funny, cow’s milk is three times that of breast milk, you don’t want to give that to your child.”

Dr. Gari: “Think of it this way: If you use cow’s milk, you are outsourcing a milk formula from a non-human source, somehow there’s this positive or negative effect. Unlike breast milk, there’s no side effect.

Dr. Kristine: “That’s why we push for breastfeeding.”

Dr. Gari: “As pediatricians, we’re really advocates of breastfeeding.”

Dr. Kristine: “Hospitals now are very strict. Moms really have to breastfeed. They should really room in the baby. Before, the babies are put in the nursery and kept there until they go home. Now, as soon as the baby is born, it should be with the mom. Hospitals are now mommy-baby-friendly.”

Dr. Gari: “Seldom would you see hospitals now that would allow milk formula.”

Dr. Kristine: “For a hospital to be accredited by the Department of Health and PhilHealth, it should be baby-friendly — moms room in their babies, which is also to encourage breastfeeding.”

Dr. Gari: “Mixed feeding is not enough. As doctors, we give moms techniques on how to increase breast milk.”

Dr. Kristine: “We must also be aware if the baby is having the right kind of nutrition or not, because sometimes you think that if the baby is crying, he’s hungry, yun pala gusto lang ng aruga, or maybe he’s wet. So usually, we tell moms that as long as the baby has regular bowel movement and good urine output, then, most probably, they’re giving the right amount of breast milk, so they don’t have to feed and feed. Because babies sometimes just want to be cuddled.”

Dr. Gari: “The first 1,000 days of the baby are important.”

Dr. Kristine: “It all starts with the baby inside the womb.”

Dr. Gari: “Yes, with education, we will eventually raise bright, healthy children.”

Dr. Kristine: “It should be a commitment among parents. How can you convince your child to eat healthy if you as a parent are not? Juvenile diabetes or type 1 diabetes is genetic. Type 2 at a younger age, that’s the surprising one because before, it was in the older age. The reason could be lifestyle, multifactorial. So, you have to try to control each factor.”

Dr. Gari: “It’s difficult, but it’s a challenge.”

Dr. Gari: “Engage in family activities together.”

Dr. Kristine: “A lifestyle change for the parents will be good for themselves and their kids.”

Dr. Gari: “Like a mindset, bata pa lang, you’re already feeding the child with good information.”

Dr. Kristine: “Talagang masarap ang junk food, it’s made to be that way, to be addictive.”

Dr. Gari: “You control the factors that influence the genes, what turns on the genes, what turns off the genes. It lies on the lifestyle, the environment. If he’s in a healthy environment seeing people running, playing, the child would be influenced to do so, too.”

Dr. Kristine: “The recommendation for a society is to limit the kids’ screen time (iPad, TV) to two hours a day.”

Dr. Gari: “Parents now are wiser, aware of what is healthy or not. We have all this technology that disseminates information.”

Dr. Kristine: “We’re a resilient people. We’re willing to change, it’s a matter of being aware and pushing for it. Education should also be pushed for those who do not know. If we could only bring proper education and nutrition to those who can’t be reached.”

Dr. Gari: “The best is within the home and within the school because you’re sure that proper knowledge will be imparted. Rather than if they see it on the Internet. People rely too much on ‘Dr. Google.’ I had a patient who had a simple case of kulani. The parents came to me crying, saying that their child has lymphoma because they read the same symptoms on the Internet.”