Christmas caution

As a child I received a tin of Quality Street, a box of Black Magic, a chest of All Gold and various other chocolate treats every Christmas. After the war that kind of easy access to things we had done without was irresistible, now 60 odd years later we can see the dangers. A recent study in the USA of obese children as young as 10 showed that they had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease. Currently about a third of American children are overweight and one-fifth are obese and although many parents think that this kind of puppy fat will melt away as they get older it is establishing eating patterns and health habits that are best avoided. Ultrasound tests on the children found that they also had more rigid arteries than was expected and this is a possible sign of plaque deposits starting to form. So if you are buying presents for children, exercise love with caution and cut down on the selection boxes and chocolate in general.