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 The Pritikin Longevity Center, acclaimed for its success in helping adults launch healthy lifestyles, has proven hugely successful for children as well. The Pritikin Family Program, conducted every summer at the Pritikin resort, was developed in response to growing concerns about the health of America's youth, who are relentlessly exposed to unhealthy food and are living a more sedentary lifestyle. At Pritikin, we teach the entire family how fun and rewarding daily fitness can be, and how healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can be easily transformed into kid-friendly, great-tasting treats like smoothies, sorbets, and pizzas. The program delivers remarkable weight loss and health results, and gives families the education and tools to continue their healthy lifestyle at home - all while enjoying fun activities at Pritikin's tropical resort, including tennis and afternoons at the beach. The faculty is comprised of Pritikin's doctors, dietitians, and exercise physiologists as well as guest faculty, including Dr. Susan Spear, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University and New York Presbyterian, specialist in adolescent medicine; and television personality Dr. Ruth Peters, NBC Today Show's expert on child and family psychology.
The Epidemic - Childhood Obesity, Diabetes, and Heart Disease
Childhood obesity and its deadly consequences, including early heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, have spiraled into nationwide epidemics, prompting scientists to assert that this may be the first generation in America in which parents outlive their children. It is the "terror within," states U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. One in seven children and adolescents is now obese. Even toddlers are at risk. Tufts University researchers recently found that 10 to 15 percent of preschoolers between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate that one in three Americans born in the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes.
Pritikin Family Program
2006 Pritikin Kid's Study Results
The Solution - Family Immersion
To thwart these frightening epidemics, "American children should undergo lifestyle retraining," recently concluded the American Heart Association. And so should parents.  The AHA spokesperson continued, "Hectoring kids, especially teens, gets you nowhere. Kids model themselves on what we do, not what we demand.  To curb childhood obesity and other health epidemics, the entire family needs to be involved." Concurs Rae-Ellen Kavey, M.D., Director of Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, "Prevention holds the most promise when it is initiated in children." "We acquire eating behaviors when we are young. If we teach kids to exercise and enjoy healthy foods early in life, they will do so later in life," says James Kenney, Ph.D., R.D, F.A.C.N., nutrition educator at Pritikin.
Total family immersion is precisely what happens at the Pritikin Family Program.  Since 2002, the Pritikin Family Program has proven highly successful in helping kids and parents launch healthy lifestyles. Says Susan Tabas-Tepper of Villanova, Pennsylvania, who attended the program with her son Fitz in 2002, 2003, and 2004: "The program was definitely a 10+ experience for Fitz. This was a child who never touched a vegetable! The Pritikin faculty really knew how to explain healthy living in kid terms. Fitz is no longer eating fruits and vegetables because 'mom said so.' He's eating them because he wants to."
The Science - Pritikin and American Heart Association Research; and Results of the Pritikin Family Program
Research conducted by Pritikin's scientists on the effectiveness and results of the Pritikin Family Program was selected to be presented at the American Heart Association's national conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco in March 2004. Pritikin Research Director and UCLA scientist Dr. James Barnard reported the results achieved by the children in the Pritikin Family Program:
- LDL "bad" cholesterol of the children plummeted on average 31%;
- Triglyceride levels fell 48%;
- Weight loss averaged 10 pounds in two weeks for those who needed weight loss.
 "Dozens of scientists told me that this Pritikin data on children was the most important research presented at the AHA conference," states Dr. Barnard. "It is research that America must hear because it could help save millions of children's lives."
Research published in the AHA journal Circulation (April 6, 2004) also validates the importance of a Pritikin-style lifestyle for children.  Scientists found that the arteries of 82 overweight children showed abnormalities that can lead to plaque formation and heart disease later in life. But these abnormalities, the scientists discovered, were largely reversed after the children followed a 6-week program of regular exercise and a low-fat diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. States lead researcher Dr. Kam S. Woo: "We were surprised that the children had developed abnormalities at such a young age - and by how readily these could be reversed with simple lifestyle measures."
The Pritikin Family Program Overview
The Pritikin Family Program is an immersion program where the entire family learns and enjoys making healthy lifestyle changes that last a lifetime. In the one- or two-week program, Pritikin creates a camp-like atmosphere where the kids, ages 9 and up, play lively get-movin' fitness games, don chef's hats for "hands-on" cooking classes, and attend kid-friendly workshops on nutrition. Parents and kids share many experiences together. In addition to the traditional "adult" Pritikin Program, parents also can attend workshops to learn strategies for motivating their kids to make healthy choices, such as how to plan menus with your kids, how to handle picky eaters and junk-food lovers, how to be a good role model, and how to fit fitness fun into everyday family life.
 Kids enjoy healthy foods that have been creatively adapted by Pritikin dietitians and award-winning chefs to satisfy the tastes and needs of children. On field trips, the children even learn how to make good choices at fast food restaurants and food courts. In cooking classes taught by Pritikin dietitians and chefs, the kids make easy, tasty snacks, soups, sorbets, pastas, a "Three Sisters Casserole," an "Egyptian Delight," crepes, cookies, and Mexican beans and tortillas. In kid-friendly nutrition classes taught by Pritikin's dietitians, kids are exposed to some real eye-openers, like the number of teaspoons of sugar (more than 10!) in each can of Coke, and how smooth-skinned arteries can turn "gnarly with cholesterol boils" after years of eating the wrong foods.
At Pritikin, fitness also is fun. Daily, kids whoop and holler their way through tennis, "Funky Salsa Hop" dance classes, "Pump-Em-Up" strength training, "Cardiac Rap" aerobic workouts, and afternoons at the beach filled with volleyball, soccer, and sand castle building. Says Pritikin's Exercise Director Scott Danberg: "We consistently stress a group dynamic that is positive and noncompetitive. This is especially important for kids who have been turned off or intimidated by sports in the past.  By the end of their Pritikin Program, these kids are astonished at what they have achieved - particularly the lean muscle mass they have gained and their improvements in the President's Fitness Challenge - and how much they really enjoyed themselves." Says lead instructor Ed Pedell: "They develop physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's a beautiful thing to see. These kids leave knowing that exercise will be a part of their lives forever."
"Everyone has a great time in the Pritikin Family Program, both parents and kids," says Jeff Novick, Pritikin's Director of Nutrition. "It's a program that is popular as well as effective, one where families can have fun together and graduate with impressive results. There isn't a better summer vacation experience." Concludes Medical Director Robert Bauer, M.D., "Everyone leaves with an education, a new way of life, that is priceless.
Pritikin Program - The Basics
 The Pritikin Program was launched in 1974 by Nathan Pritikin, who started a health revolution by showing that heart disease, diabetes, and overweight could be largely prevented by exercise and a diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, nonfat dairy foods, and limited lean meat. Since 1975, more than 100 studies published in top medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine have documented the Pritikin Program's remarkable effectiveness in helping thousands worldwide who have attended  the Pritikin Longevity Center and millions more who have read Pritikin's best-selling books lose weight safely, effectively, and permanently; dramatically reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides; normalize blood pressure; lower insulin levels; avoid heart bypass surgery; reduce inflammation markers like C-reactive protein; and significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, strokes, and several forms of cancers.
Pritikin Family Program Study: Selected For 2004 American Heart Association Conference
Impact of low-fat, high-fiber diet and physical activity on serum lipid profile and body weight in 9 to 16-year-old subjects
Adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.A in recent years. This epidemic has been accompanied by an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and hypertension. Safe and effective interventions to treat and prevent obesity and CVD risk factors are needed. Family physicians can play a critical role in managing weight control and cholesterol levels in adolescents. A significant reduction was noted in total cholesterol (-26.2%), total cholesterol/HDL-C ratios (-25%), LDL-C (-31%), and triacylglycerol (-48%), and triacylglycerol/ HDL-C ratios (-42%); all p <. 05. There was no significant change in HDL-C. In 9 to 16-year-olds on the Pritikin Program, which included a high-fiber and low-fat diet coupled with daily activity over a 2-week period, we noted significant weight loss and significant reductions in total cholesterol/HDL and triacylglycerol/HDL ratios, and total cholesterol, SDS-C, and triacylglycerol without significantly decreasing HDL-C. This intervention in 9 to 16-year-olds differs from the recent recommendations provided by the American Heart Association (AHA) for children in only one regard: only 15-20% of calories were provided by fat in this intervention. This is in contrast to the AHA recommendation for children to consume between 20% and 30% of calories from fat. The concern has been that a very low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet could lower HDL and raise triacylglycerol levels. However, our data does not support these concerns, and suggests that a very low-fat, high-fiber diet combined with adequate activity can provide a substantial improvement in the overall lipid profile and also lower triacylglycerol levels.
Scientifically Proven Results
Since 1975, more than 100,000 guests have experienced the life-changing benefits of the Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa. Nearly 10 million have read the nine best-selling books on the Pritikin Program. Most importantly, no other diet-and-exercise program has been more highly praised by the scientific community. More than 100 studies in top medical journals have found that people who adopt the Pritikin Program achieve dramatic results in just a few weeks, with more benefits long-term. The Pritikin Program has been proven to:
Markedly Reduce Risk Factors For Heart Disease
Cholesterol: Analyses of 4,587 guests staying at Pritikin for three weeks showed an average 23% drop in total cholesterol and 23% drop in LDL "bad" cholesterol. New England Journal of Medicine, 323: 1142, 1990; Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991. See also Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.
Triglycerides: These 4,587 Pritikin guests also reduced triglycerides on average 33%. New England Journal of Medicine, 323: 1142 ,1990; Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991.
C-Reactive Protein: In just two weeks, inflammation markers like C-reactive protein plummeted 45% in women at the Pritikin Center. No other diet-and exercise program or drug therapy, including statins, has proven to lower C-reactive protein so dramatically or rapidly. Metabolism, 53: 377, 2004.
Insulin: In three weeks, insulin levels fell 46% in men at the Pritikin Center. Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.
Lower Blood Pressure to Normal, Medication-Free Levels
In a study of 268 men, 83% lowered their blood pressure to normal levels and left free of all drugs for hypertension. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 839, 1983. See also Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.
Enhance Effectiveness of Statin Therapy
Prior to attending Pritikin, 93 people had reduced their cholesterol about 20% on statins. After two weeks at Pritikin, they demonstrated an additional 19% decrease in cholesterol. American Journal of Cardiology, 79: 1112, 1997.
Control Diabetes and, for Many, Eliminate the Need for Drugs
In research on 652 diabetics, 70% on oral agents left Pritikin free of such medications; 39% on insulin left insulin-free. Participants who continued the Pritikin Program stayed off the medications. Diabetes Care, 17: 1469, 1994.
Promote Healthy, Long-Term Weight Loss
Pritikin guests in need of weight loss lose 12 pounds and more within three weeks of starting Pritikin. Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991.
In 2003, the world's top experts in weight control and health published a 116-page World Health Organization report announcing that the optimal diet for losing weight and preventing disease is a diet, like the Pritikin Program, that is low in fat and high in natural, fiber-rich carbohydrates. The most comprehensive study of long-term weight loss ever conducted found that the vast majority of its nearly 4,500 successful dieters follow a diet that is low in fat and high in fiber-rich carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. The members lost, on average, 66 pounds and have kept it off for six years. Less than 1% follow a high-protein, high-fat diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 98: 480, 1998.
Eliminate the Need for Angioplasty and Bypass Surgery; Relieve Angina Pain
A five-year follow-up of 64 participants who went to Pritikin instead of having bypass surgery found that 80% never needed surgery. Of those taking drugs for angina (chest) pain, 62% left the Center pain-free and drug-free. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 183, 1983.
Mitigate the Metabolic Syndrome
High insulin levels, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and obesity commonly aggregate in the same individual and greatly increase the risk for coronary disease. The Pritikin Program controlled this syndrome in just three weeks in a majority of 72 people studied. Fasting insulin was reduced by 30-40%. American Journal of Cardiology, 69: 440, 1992.
Reduce Key Risk Factors for Breast, Colon, and Prostate Cancer
Several studies have found that adopting the Pritikin Program reduced key risk factors for breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 86: 1419, 1994; Nutrition and Cancer, 31: 127,1998; Nutrition and Cancer, 38: 158, 2000; The Journal of Urology, 166: 1185, 2001.
The latest research provides groundbreaking data showing that the Pritikin Program induced prostate cancer cells to die. Prostate, 56: 201, 2003.
Promote Smoking Cessation
The customized smoking cessation program at Pritikin has helped many guests quit smoking for good. Plus, their new Pritikin lifestyles helped ensure that they did not gain weight while quitting. Many, in fact, lost weight.
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