Dangers of Childhood Obesity

It is being described as an epidemic now as the number of children suffering from overweight and obesity has increased immensely over the last thirty years in the western world: doubled among children and tripled among teens in United States.

• If your child is overweight now, s(he) is a lot more likely to become overweight as an adult: 50% chance if one of the parents is obese, up to 80% chance if both parents are. And the extra weight they carry can be extremely damaging in the short and long term.

• When they are adults, losing weight can become extremely difficult for obese children as the weight gain has to do with increased size and number of fat cells, and they will not be able to reduce the number of fat cells when they lose weight as adults. Getting leaner will require a lot more effort for them!

• A new study suggests that the best way to find out if your child is on his / her way to suffer from obesity and its complications is to measure the BMI- body mass index as some children at risk don't even look overweight and the body mass index for children changes with their age unlike adults.

*Before we continue with dangers of childhood obesity, I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

• Poor eating and exercise habits formed during childhood along with hormonal changes and eating badly because of having low self-esteem or being depressed, all help these obese children become obese adults.

• According to a recent research, childhood obesity can decrease the life expectancy by up to 5 years.

• As children are still in the process of growing, every single organ in a child's body can be badly affected by overweight problem.

Physical Dangers of Childhood Obesity:

• High cholesterol, particularly triglycerides and LDL- bad cholesterol.

• Early hardening of arteries.

• Hyperlipidemia- too much fat in blood that may lead to clogging of arteries.

• Cardiovascular complications.

• Increased potential risk of stroke.

• Early puberty.

• Joint problems - extra weight is a big burden on children's joints and can cause leg or back pain.

• High blood pressure- hypertension.

• Gastro-intestinal and pancreas disease.

• Sleep apnea- disruption in breathing, sleep quality being affected and this leading to tiredness and grumpiness during the day.

• Breathing problems.

• Childhood obesity can complicate already existing asthma as the excess weight can also put a burden on respiratory system as well as joints.

• Extra liver fat can cause cirrhosis, hepatitis and liver failure.

• Early arthritis.

• Gall bladder disease.

• Even increased risk of cancer as obese adults.

Psychological Dangers of Childhood Obesity:

• Depression.

• Loneliness.

• Anxiety.

• Low self-esteem.

• Lack of self-confidence.

• Overconfidence to hide their pain and hurt.

• Fear of being disliked by parents and friends.

• Impaired quality of living.

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