Eagle Circle Gives Flight from Obesity

by Jamie Dunn

While Ms. America is getting thinner, America's public is getting heavier. Fashion models verge on skinny, yet, statistics indicate that the percentage of overweight American children has doubled in the last twenty five years. Many of you may know Big Pun, short for Big Punisher. His real name, Christopher Rios died on Monday, February 7th. On that day he weighed 698 pounds. While the media did not specifically indicate that the cause of Pig Pun's death was due to his weight, it had to be a contributing factor. It had been said that Big Pun wasn't able to get to recording studios because of his condition. He had an eating disorder which may have cost him his life, and us the benefit of his music.

According to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, "A study of genetically obese rats revealed that an overabundance of fat can collect in heart cells and cause them to die." If researchers are right, and fat is accumulated in humans in the same way as mice, heart disease will be one of, if not the leading cause of death in this country because of the increasing incidence of obesity. What is the cause of the rise of obesity in America today? Lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle which keeps kids on their behinds at a computer or in front of the television, and a fat-full diet. In addition, another underlying cause of obesity among young teens today is asthma. Five million children in the United States suffer from asthma. Children who grow up in cities are twice as likely to contract it.

Jim Sgritto, Manager of Pfizer Pediatric Health, has developed a program for kids who are overweight and/or who have asthma which seems to be making a dent in controlling obesity. Eagle Circle is an active program where children can go to get help. Here, working out is made fun and safe.