WHAT SIMPLE STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO
LOWER OBESITY IN YOUR CHILD?

In the United States, nearly one quarter of low-income children younger than 5 years are overweight. A team of doctors recommends a simple step that parents can take to lower their preschooler's risk of obesity: removing the TV from the child's bedroom.

Their study of low-income youngsters aged 1 to 5 years found that kids with TV sets in their bedrooms watched nearly 5 hours more TV and videos a week and were more likely to be overweight than their peers without bedroom TV sets regardless of the parents' education.

The researchers believe parents should not put TVs in their child's bedroom and should limit their child's TV viewing to 1 to 2 hours a day.
Pediatrics June 2002;109:1028-1035

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: I disagree with researchers on this one. I don't believe in just limiting TV, I believe there should be no TV in the home at all. I know this is an extreme thought, but one I firmly believe.

TV should be eliminated from our homes because, not only it is an addiction that most of us cannot handle, it has incredibly negative consequences. My main objection to TV is that it steals what little free time you have left. Does anyone think I could do this newsletter if I was watching TV regularly?