foodconsumer.org: Do chubby babies need a weight-loss program?

Do chubby babies need a weight-loss program?
================================================================================
admin on 02/13/2010 17:32:00
 
A new study suggests that a chubby baby who looks healthy has a good chance of
becoming an obese teen facing a myriad of health problems including type 2
diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure among others.
In a study of 111 children whose body mass index exceeded 85 percent of the
general population, Dr. John Harrington at Eastern Virginia Medical School and
colleagues found that the children started gaining weight in infancy at an
average rate of 0.08 excess BMI units per month.
The progression in weight gain started when the children were three months old
and over half the children became overweight at or before the age of 2 and 90
percent of them became overweight before reaching their fifth birthday.
It should be noted that the study itself did not reveal any association between
weight gain in infancy or childhood and obesity or other health problems in
adulthood.
Nevertheless, Dr. Harrington was cited as saying in a press release by SAGE
Publications "Our study suggests that doctors may want to start reviewing the
diet of children during early well-child visits."
"Getting parents and children to change habits that have already taken hold is a
monumental challenge fraught with roadblocks and disappointments. This study
indicates that we may need to discuss inappropriate weight gain early in infancy
to affect meaningful changes in the current trend of obesity."
A health observer commented in response to the study that it's unfortunate that
many doctors may not receive sufficient education or training on diet and
nutrition from their medical schools to give parents adequate advice on how to
feed their babies.
In any case, numerous studies have shown that the feeding practice has an impact
on a baby's risk of obesity in his or her adulthood.  It's now known that
infants who are breastfed are at lower risk of obesity as teens and maybe adults
compared to those formula-fed.
Remember that the definitions for overweight and obesity for children are
different from those for adults and a person's weight status can change by
modifying his or her diet and lifestyle.  The formula used to calculate BMI for
children ages 2 to 19 differs from the one for adults. There is a BMI calculator
available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/
By Jimmy Downs and editing by Denise Reynolds