Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

Obese children as young as three years old have health markers linked to developing heart disease as adults, according to a new article in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine looked for three markers that measure inflammation in more than 16,000 children ages 1 to 17 years old.
  
• About 60 percent of the obese teenagers in the study showed elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) compared to 18% of teenagers with normal weight.
  
• The very obese children were even more likely to show elevated levels.
  

Very little is known about CRP levels in children, but Dr. Ashley Skinner, author of the study, believes that elevated levels are probably a predictor of heart disease in adulthood.

"It's really important to be concerned about childhood obesity and to even be concerned when they are quite young," she said." We can't wait until they are adolescents or adults."

Labels: toddlers, heart_disease, infant

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Children who become obese teenagers are usually overweight by the time they are two years old, according to a new study in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

• Dr. John Harrington of Eastern Virginia Medical School studied data on more than 100 obese children and teenagers.
• Dr. Harrington discovered that 90 percent of his subjects had been overweight by the time they were five years old.
  
• The researcher said that he believes that age two is a "tipping point" age for being overweight, although most of the children in the study began gaining weight as early as three months.

Dr. Harrington said that his study should be a wake-up call for pediatricians to address inappropriate weight gain in early infancy during well child visits.

Labels: parenting, infant, obese teens

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Parents can do a lot to help children keep their weight in check, according to an expert from Harvard University -- and some of the steps to prevent childhood overweight and obesity begin should be taken during the infant and toddler years.

Professor Elsie Taveras said that mothers who start pregnancy at a normal weight but who gain more than 25 pounds increase their child's chances for being overweight by age three. Also, allowing children who gain too much weight in the first six months of life puts them at much higher risk for obesity by age three, Dr. Taveras warned.

• According to a study in the journal Obesity, today's babies are almost 60 percent more likely to be overweight than were babies 20 years ago.
• Some simple feeding practices are important, such as paying attention to your baby's cues when you are feeding him or her.
• For example, if an infant pulls his head away from his bottle, he is saying, I don't want eat anymore.
• It is a good idea to keep the television off while you are feeding your baby so that you can remain sensitive to his cues.

Dr. Taveras told parents to ask their pediatrician how their child is doing in terms of weight.

Labels: childhood_obesity, parenting, prevention, infant

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A study conducted by the EU Childhood Obesity Programme finds that the low-protein content in baby formula, which may have metabolic, endocrinal and developmental benefits for infants, may play a role in kids and obesity. The study also found evidence that obesity later in life is determined in early childhood - although the researchers did say that more research is needed.

"Professor Berthold Koletzko, project coordinator from the University of Munich, Germany, said the results 'emphasise the importance of promotion of and support for breastfeeding, together with the development of the right composition of infant formula, and support for the choice of appropriate complementary food.'"

Nearly 1000 infants took part of the 3 1/2 year long study which compared breast-fed and formula-fed babies. The study took careful to note the amount of protein and calories each child was fed. Read more online.

Labels: infant, protein, formula

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Though some progress is being made in the fight against childhood obesity, not everyone is on board. Studies continue to show that an alarming number of parents still don’t recognize that their kids are overweight or obese.

“In another survey, only 38% of parents had taken steps, or were planning to take them, to help their obese child lose weight. Several factors may be contributing to this indifference among parents, experts say. Some parents believe their child’s excess weight is just ‘baby fat,’ for instance, and some may simply be in denial.” [Source: Health.com]

Other parents assume their kids are “normal” because their friends are overweight, too. So many kids today are overweight and obese, that they don’t stand out anymore, making obesity appear normal. But parents need to look past what everyone else is doing, and consult with their family doctor regarding healthy weight for all the family members.

Labels: childhood_obesity, awareness, infant, parents

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In a Nov. 26 article on the website of Arizona news station ABC15, registered nurse and lactation consultant Doreen L. Connor reported that infants who are breastfed by their mothers are less likely to become overweight than are non-breastfed youth:

When we discuss the topic of childhood obesity, we need to start at the beginning -- when they are still infants.

According to a study published on the Centers for Disease Control website, each month a baby is breastfed, the odds of being overweight goes down by 4 percent, up to nine months. The results showed a 30 percent decrease overall in the chances the baby will be overweight, compared to a baby who is never breastfed.

Labels: prevention, mothers, infant

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