Health risks in obese children

Rapid weight gain in early childhood can predispose to high blood pressure in later life, putting the person at risk of early heart disease. Past studies have identified that low birth weight itself is a risk factor for high blood pressure later in life causing many experts to suggest that a person's blood pressure is set during the very beginning of life in the womb. Now, a new study found that low birth weight infants who gained weight rapidly between the ages of 1 and 5 were more often predisposed to high blood pressure as adults. The study was carried out at the University of Southampton in Britain. Researchers found in a number of studies that babies with a birth weight of less than 2.5 kilograms grew up to have a range of heart problems. It was wondered whether the practice of fattening up the babies after birth, which doctors often encourage mothers to do, might inadvertently lead to higher blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease in those children. To find out, they studied 346 British men and women with an average age of 22 years who had their weight and height measured regularly from birth to age 10. They found that low birth weight and abnormal weight gain between one and five years of age were associated with higher systolic blood pressure in young adult life. The highest blood pressures were found in men and women who had low birth weight but gained the most weight during early childhood. Children who have higher body mass are more likely to become obese adults and pose a public health concern as they are at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer. The study appears to have implications for children born in developing nations who move to more-developed nations that have sedentary lifestyles and calorie-laden diets. It is important to make sure infants and young children do not gain weight too rapidly or excessively.