Fat Babies = Unfit Adults

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

05 Apr 2009 06:57 PM

According to a new study, infants who gain too much weight as babies are more likely to grow into obese toddlers, and later, obese adults.

The research was conducted by doctors at Harvard University and Children's Hospital-Boston and concluded that early eating and exercise habits are extremely important in shaping healthy adults.

The study found that parents need to watch for cues from their children about when they are full, encourage them to drink plenty of water, and have them participate in activities that promote movement.

The Harvard researchers noted that obesity rates among U.S. children have doubled in the last 20 years, and almost a third of American children are either overweight or obese. The epidemic was addressed in the study, which found that nearly one in 10 children are obese at age 3. The study also found that children who were heaviest at birth and those gaining the most weight through age 6 months together had a 40 percent higher probability of being obese at age 3.

Experts say the easiest way to avoid having your child suffer complications associated with obesity is to improve his diet and encourage him to move. Even young children should be given the opportunity to sit up, clap their hands and crawl rather than placed in a swing or sling all day.

Researchers say another easy way to keep children from gaining too much weight is to encourage them to drink more water. Experts found that when children are urged to drink water they consumed the equivalent of an extra glass of water a day compared to children not given the encouragement. What's more, children who drank more water lowered their risk of becoming overweight by 31 percent.

Researchers maintain that if parents lay the foundation for proper diet and exercise habits when a child is very young, he or she will be better able to avoid becoming obese later in life.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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