The worldwide childhood obesity epidemic has been steadily expanding, with at least 46 percent of school-aged children being overweight in America alone, according to a recent commentary in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Childhood obesity is a multifaceted condition caused by a combination of hereditary, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Extensive research has shown a strong association between obesity and other life-threatening diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. In addition to health complications, childhood overweight and obesity has psychological, social, and emotional implications.
The ketogenic diet has been proposed as one of the treatment options for children diagnosed with epilepsy. Because it induces a state of ketosis, the ketogenic diet should be administered under close medical supervision. It is the position of the Epilepsy Foundation that this diet "helps two out of three children who are tried on it and may prevent seizures completely in one out of three."
Childhood malnutrition prevails in poverty-stricken countries in Africa, Central America, South America, the Middle East, and East and Southeast Asia. The most common form of childhood malnutrition is known as Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM). PEM assumes two different types: kwashiorkor and marasmus. While children affected by kwashiorkor are identified by their recognizable swollen belly, those suffering from marasmus are stunted and chronically underweight. Both conditions require immediate medical and nutritional intervention.
Today's children are bombarded with media images of celebrities, actors, and musicians boasting perfect bodies. Compounded with social peer pressure, such images can be a contributing factor in developing eating disorders in children. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia athletica. Moreover, a form of anorexia known as infantile anorexia may develop in children as young as 6 months as a result of a stressful introduction of solid foods into the infant's diet.