Recently published in the Pediatrics magazine, research results show that weight gain in babies during the first three months of life could mean an obese toddler at three years of age.
Researcher, Matthew Gillman M.D. believes that if considered the conclusion is not as strange as it sounds.
A lot of human development takes place in these early stages with many changes happening in the womb well before birth.
Rather than concentrating purely on weight, this research also considered other factors such as a useful guide similar to the body mass index (BMI). This is used as an indicator for adult obesity which calculates total body fat which can be used alongside weight in determining the scale of someone’s problem.
By examining the data, Gilman’s team was able to see that babies with a higher weight to length ratio were more likely to become significantly overweight by almost fifty percent compared with children at the other end of the scale.
Gillman finds the results crucial in tackling the increasing problem of child obesity throughout the western world. By using the data from these 600 children we can establish a way to restrict weight gain in infants and ultimately save a lot of lives. [Baby Weight]
It has long been suspected that during the infant years if weight is gained disproportionately the likelihood problem of obesity is increased and in recent years, more and more research seems to be confirming that believe. Researcher Elsie Taveras is optimistic that this study will see changes made for the better.
