The Weekly Skinny: All the healthy news you need (8-13-10)






Just seven years old. That's how young some girls are now hitting puberty. Is obesity to blame? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

U.S. girls hit puberty earlier than ever - is obesity to blame?
Girls in the U.S. are reaching puberty earlier than they have before - as young as seven years old, according to a new study published in Pediatrics. Researchers say the change puts them at higher risk for behavioral problems when they're teenagers and breast cancer when they're adults. The report doesn't explain why girls are developing earlier, but it finds heavier girls with a higher body-mass index were more likely than others to hit early puberty.

Killer muffin tops
That bulging belly is no joke. One of the largest studies to look at the dangers of abdominal fat finds if you have a bigger waistline, you have twice the risk of dying over a decade compared to people with smaller stomachs… even if your weight is considered "normal" using body mass index, or BMI. Researchers say even if you haven't gained much weight, if your waist size increases, it's time to eat better and start exercising more. Previous research has found similar results.

Healthier school lunches coming soon?

Will healthier foods be on school menus soon? New child nutrition legislation that just passed in the Senate could make that happen. The "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" would improve the nutritional quality of school lunches. The bill now moves on to the House, where it is expected to pass.

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[photo credit: Getty Images]