Fat Babies, Fat Later On
According to Reuters, new research has determined that heavy infants have a higher risk of being obese later in life. Tan Ee Lyn reports:
Obesity has long been associated with a person's lifestyle and dietary habits, but the study shows it might just as well be dependent on "epigenetics" -- factors such as genes, and the eating habits and lifestyle of parents and grandparents, said researchers at the University of Hong Kong.All the more reason to upgrade the eating habits of the whole family.
"You tend to assume it's just your lifestyle, but what people are realising is it's not just what you are doing now, but what people have done in your family in the past," said Mary Schooling, assistant professor at the university's School of Public Health.
New born infants would be considered heavy if they weigh 3.65 kg (8 pounds) and over.
Excess weight and obesity pose major risks for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and some forms of cancer.
I'll have to pass this on to my (former) lactation consultant. She used to dispell the worries of moms with chubby babes with the reassurance that baby weight has no correlation to later weight.
I like the solidity of some numbers to work with, such as over 8 pounds at birth being "heavy". I wonder where on the %ile charts we would want to aim for?
Even before ETL, I was very happy with my eldest child's 30th %ile weight and height. :) Ironically, my twins (ETL since 3 months) are more "solid" kids, but I don't know their stats on the charts.
Kirsten,
Isn't it strange...We lament fat children; yet, when we see a fat baby, it's, "Oh, how cute!" "What a healthy baby!"
Strange, We are.
I wasn't born overweight, but I was definitely "quieted down" with a bottle, and got pretty darned chubby. I seemed to grow out of it quickly, not being an overweight toddler, and, while not obese, I did put on a bit too much weight in grammar school. I guess the groundwork had been laid.