Agatston Research Foundation Sponsors New Childhood Obesity Initiative

The Scientists and the Stars Luncheon Brings Together Nationally Recognized
Scientists, Celebrity Chefs, Television Personalities, and Key Policy Makers
to Help Tackle the Growing Childhood Obesity Crisis

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Agatston Research
Foundation will bring together leading experts in the area of science, policy
and culinary arts to address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity with
the goal of developing an on-going dialogue between key influencers committed
to creating change for this crucial medical and social challenge.
An invitation-only meeting of the scientists, health and policy
professionals will be held on Friday, February 22nd in Miami Beach, followed
by a ticketed event luncheon, "The Scientists and the Stars Luncheon" at The
Ritz-Carlton, South Beach at 12:00 pm for a discussion on childhood obesity
initiatives and will introduce attendees to some of the trailblazing programs
currently in place in the U.S. and Great Britain and provide a glimpse into
the potential for additional change in the near future.
Moderating the luncheon will be Arthur Agatston, MD, University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine, and founder of the Agatston Research Foundation.
The star-studded panel will include Jamie Oliver, School Dinners Project,
Great Britain, Rachael Ray, Parental Ambassador, Alliance for a Healthier
Generation, Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard Programs, Joy Bauer, RD, Nutrition
Correspondent for NBC-TV's The Today Show, Under Secretary Nancy Montanez
Johner, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, United States Department of
Agriculture; and David Ludwig, MD, Harvard Medical School and author of Ending
the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food
World.
"Our goal is to help a generation of children prevent the wide variety of
chronic diseases that often occur because of obesity," says Arthur Agatston,
MD. "Our nation's children are currently overfed and undernourished and we can
do better. Bringing experts together to influence the foods served in our
schools, and to educate schools and parents about healthier options, is a
positive step in moving this mission forward."
The Agatston Research Foundation is currently funding an initiative called
The Healthier Options for Public SchoolChildren (HOPS) Study, which introduces
students to healthier food choices through the schools' existing food
distribution systems, provides nutritional education materials and works to
find mechanisms for the school districts to serve healthier foods within their
budget constraints.
The Scientists and the Stars Luncheon will be held at The Ritz-Carlton,
South Beach, on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. Tickets are $125 per
person and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to three charities
dedicated to children's health: Share our Strength: Operation Frontline, and
Fienberg Fisher Elementary School to develop a sustainable garden. To purchase
tickets, visit http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/2008/events_info.php?id=12
or call 877-762-3933.
A limited number of discounted tickets will be made available to
educators. For information about discounted ticket availability, please
contact Danielle Hollar, PhD., 305-534-3338.
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine
magazine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine &
Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention
Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more
information about Florida International University visit www.fiu.edu, for the
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu and
for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www.southernwine.com.
About the Agatston Research Foundation
The Agatston Research Foundation, founded by Arthur S. Agatston, MD, is a
non-profit research foundation dedicated to improving the heart health and
wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention. The goals
of the Foundation are to conduct and fund research that contributes to
reducing the incidence of heart attacks and strokes, to educate and empower
the public to take an active part in managing their health, to promote
innovative health-care programs oriented towards prevention, and to advance
and promote a greater focus on prevention among the medical community. The
largest study conducted by the Foundation is the Healthier Options for Public
Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study, led by Danielle Hollar, PhD. This study seeks to
prevent chronic diseases associated with obesity by tackling obesity in early
life through elementary school-based prevention strategies that thematically
integrate healthy dietary offerings, nutrition and healthy lifestyle
educational curricula, increased levels of physical activity, and other
school-based projects, such as school gardens in a replicable manner.
About Dr. Agatston
Dr. Agatston is an associate professor of medicine at the University of
Miami Miller School of Medicine. He lectures extensively on prevention both
nationally and internationally. He has served on committees of the American
Society of Echocardiography, the American College of Cardiology, and the
Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging, where he is a founding member of the board
of directors. He was recently elected to serve on the board of directors of
The American Dietetic Association Foundation. In addition to his work with his
wife, Sari, on The South Beach Diet(TM) and the Agatston Research Foundation,
Dr. Agatston maintains a cardiology practice in Miami Beach, where they
reside. The Agatstons have two sons, currently attending college.
For additional information on the Agatston Research Foundation, visit
www.agatstonresearchfoundation.org
SOURCE The Agatston Research Foundation

Lori Ferme of Rubenstein Communications, Inc., +1-212-843-8291,
lferme@rubenstein.com, for the Agatston Research Foundation