Contents:
- Medical Video: Top 10 causes of obesity in children - Boston Children's Hospital - Top 20 Health Challenges
- Fat children have piles of bad fat in their bodies
- Fat children can also experience various chronic diseases such as adults
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure or hypertension
- Can this chronic disease be prevented even though the child is overweight?
Medical Video: Top 10 causes of obesity in children - Boston Children's Hospital - Top 20 Health Challenges
Now, the risk of obesity is not only haunting adults. According to data from the World Health Organization in 2015 there were at least 42 million children under the age of 5 who were overweight. Not to mention now that many obese children are entering school age. But will these children also experience chronic diseases like adults?
Fat children have piles of bad fat in their bodies
Not only in adults, fat has the same bad character in children. If you give too often and allow children to eat foods that are high in fat, it is not impossible that these fats will endanger the health of the child.
Actually, digestion and fat metabolism in children's bodies are not much different from adults. But there are several things that distinguish the two, namely how fast the digestive and metabolic processes occur.
Overall it may indeed be the speed of a child's metabolism slower than adults, but that does not make them apart from the risk of obesity if they consume too much fat. So, the chance for fat to accumulate in the body of children and adults is almost the same.
Fat children can also experience various chronic diseases such as adults
Believe it or not the nutritional status of a child as a child is a prediction of his nutritional status in adulthood. All are related, even since the child was born. For example, a child born with a body weight of more than 4 kg has the opportunity to experience obesity in childhood. Whereas obese children are very likely to have the same nutritional status as adults.
So, just like adults, obese children have a higher chance of experiencing various chronic diseases when they have experienced adulthood. Moreover, if parents let their children not change their lifestyle, it is not impossible when adults will experience obesity and chronic diseases, such as:
Type 2 diabetes
Although type 2 diabetes is more often experienced by adults, it does not rule out the possibility of overweight children experiencing it. Fat children often have high blood sugar levels. This makes the child's body become "immune" to insulin. This causes the hormone insulin which acts as a regulator of blood sugar no longer works properly.
High blood pressure or hypertension
Even a fat child who is 7 years old is very likely to have high blood pressure due to his body condition. Just like hypertension experienced by adults, obese children with high blood pressure do not initially show any symptoms or medical signs. High blood pressure is a trigger for various heart diseases, therefore if your child has hypertension you should do a complete examination at the doctor.
Can this chronic disease be prevented even though the child is overweight?
Yes, as a parent, you can help children improve their health. Fat children do have a very high risk of experiencing various health problems in the future, but that does not mean he will experience it in the near future.
You can apply a healthy lifestyle to them such as getting used to exercise, adjusting the portion of food so that the child's weight decreases. And don't forget to check your child with a doctor and consult a nutritionist to find out the right diet.
