Birth Weight - Weight Gain - Obesity
Because rapid linear growth is often accompanied
by accelerated weight gain, it may not be surprising that children who
grow rapidly during childhood are more likely to be obese as adults. Many
of these children would also have been heavy at birth. An obesity and
weight study by Parsons et al found, however, that those who were most
vulnerable to developing obesity in association with rapid childhood growth
were men who had been light at birth or who had thin or light mothers.
This is an important finding as this pattern of growth is becoming common
in developing countries that are experiencing a nutritional transition
to Western lifestyles. In such countries, women tend to be small, following
an impoverished childhood, and intergenerational effects lead to the persistence
of high prevalences of low birth weight. Changing economic circumstances
and population lifestyles, however, make rapid postnatal weight gain likely,
perhaps particularly in boys, who may receive preferential treatment in
the sharing of food. In developed countries, individuals who may be at
increased risk because of their pattern of growth are those born prematurely
or after intrauterine growth restriction. They have low birth weight and
then grow up in a society with low levels of activity and high levels
of dietary fat and sugar.
Obesity & Overweight - Future Research
Instead of concentrating research efforts on developing drug treatments
for established adult obesity, perhaps we should use what we know already
to design and evaluate social, behavioral, or policy interventions aimed
at children. Association does not equal causation, but systematic reviews
of observational studies such as Parsons et al's may guide us to the groups
of individuals who are most at risk of adult obesity and the critical
periods for intervention.
2001
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