Childhood obesity is a frightening epidemic associated with risk factors for the later development of coronary artery disease, including high blood glucose (and even type 2 diabetes) and triglycerides, hypertension, and low HDL cholesterol.

Obese children carry these problems into adulthood, when they are likely to remain obese.

It's well known that obese parents are more likely to have children who are obese. Here's what you can do to ward off obesity in your children:

• Encourage your children to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.
• Limit sedentary activities, such as watching television and playing video games, to no more than one to two hours daily.
• Avoid highly restrictive diets that forbid favorite foods.
• Control the size of portions at the family table. Fill each plate yourself with recommended serving sizes, instead of putting out serving bowls and platters and letting children help themselves. 
• Maintain a schedule of regular meals and discourage eating between meals, especially after school.
• Discourage fast foods. Don't take your family to places serving such foods.
• Keep sweetened beverages and high-calorie snack foods out of the house.
• Be a good role model by participating regularly in physical activity and maintaining healthy eating habits yourself.

If one of your teenagers is obese, has failed to lose weight, and already has risk factors for heart disease or diabetes, ask his or her pediatrician about the possibility of prescribing one of the available weight loss medications.