Nox
25-01-2005, 05:48 PM
Anyone see this last night?
It was a documentary about children suffering from Prader Willi syndrome. The syndrome is caused by a chromosonal abnormality which effects the part of the brain responsible for suppression of appetite amongst other things.
These poor kids never felt full no matter how much they ate, or how frequently they ate. Consequently, their weight was ballooning out of control leading to obesity which could be fatal if left unchecked.
Because it's a genetic condition, nothing could be done to arrest the onslaught other than strict supervision of their eating habits which usually fell to their parents. Locked food cupboards and padlocked fridges were the norm as they battled between keeping their child happy and keeping them alive.
In a cruel twist of fate, the condition also caused them to burn up less calories than a none sufferer, and that coupled with their inability to do much exercise due to their sheer bulk meant the outlook was bleak.
Their parents had to resort to sending them to institutions where their dietry requirements could be strictly regulated. And for those that did it on last nights program, it was a success story. But they can't remain at the institution forever and it will require a lot of self discipline from the parents and later on themselves to overcome the enormous problems.
However, one poor lad who was still in his early twenties and weighed thirty stone wanted his independence, but with that independence came temptation in the form of cafes and fast food joints. He returned to living with his mother having put on another stone. How much longer his heart will hold out is anybody's guess.
It was a documentary about children suffering from Prader Willi syndrome. The syndrome is caused by a chromosonal abnormality which effects the part of the brain responsible for suppression of appetite amongst other things.
These poor kids never felt full no matter how much they ate, or how frequently they ate. Consequently, their weight was ballooning out of control leading to obesity which could be fatal if left unchecked.
Because it's a genetic condition, nothing could be done to arrest the onslaught other than strict supervision of their eating habits which usually fell to their parents. Locked food cupboards and padlocked fridges were the norm as they battled between keeping their child happy and keeping them alive.
In a cruel twist of fate, the condition also caused them to burn up less calories than a none sufferer, and that coupled with their inability to do much exercise due to their sheer bulk meant the outlook was bleak.
Their parents had to resort to sending them to institutions where their dietry requirements could be strictly regulated. And for those that did it on last nights program, it was a success story. But they can't remain at the institution forever and it will require a lot of self discipline from the parents and later on themselves to overcome the enormous problems.
However, one poor lad who was still in his early twenties and weighed thirty stone wanted his independence, but with that independence came temptation in the form of cafes and fast food joints. He returned to living with his mother having put on another stone. How much longer his heart will hold out is anybody's guess.