Bill Clinton admits childhood eating habits caused his heart problems

Bill Clinton has admitted that had he had eaten better as child, he might not have developed the heart problems he is experiencing today. The former US President has given his support to a new anti-childhood obesity initiative in America, just one week after entering hospital for a bypass operation.

Speaking at an Alliance for a Healthier Generation event, he told the audience: "The root cause of this was habits that I acquired in my childhood, mostly the way I ate and the way it interacted with my own biology and my propensity to produce bad cholesterol which lead to a clotting of my arteries."

Clinton’s poor heart history first came to light in 2004, when he underwent a quadruple bypass operation for a blocked artery. He said at the time that genetic factors were partly to blame. However, he admitted his fast-food eating habits had also done damage. A 2001 medical report showed he had abnormal cholesterol levels and high blood pressure: two major predicators for heart disease. Immediately after the operation, Clinton began a dieting plan that eventually led to his weight dropping significantly.

Though Clinton conceded his latest hospital visit was probably brought on by stress and lack of sleep - particularly during his recent relief work in Haiti – he said that had he have eaten more healthily in younger years, this problem could have been avoided. He urged youngsters to not make the same mistake. "What you're doing today may affect your life for 20, 30, 40, 50, for many of you, 70 or 80 years".

His comments come shortly after the First Lady, Michelle Obama, set out her target of reducing childhood obesity in America.

If you are considering a weight loss diet, treatments like Xenical, a drug that blocks a third of the fat you eat from staying in your body, could be a useful aid. Exercise and a healthy diet should be the two staple parts of any weight loss plan.