Once thick - ever thick? Therefore, often losing weight does not work!

Obesity in early childhood often persists

The foundation for obesity and obesity is often laid before school. A German research team shows that about 90 percent of children who were already overweight at the age of two to six years, even later than adolescents under too high body weight. The team tracked the weight development of 51,000 adolescents from birth to adulthood.

Researchers from the Leipzig University Medical Center have been able to document that even early childhood has a decisive influence on the development of overweight and obesity. Based on the data of 51,505 children, the scientists showed that 90 percent of children who were overweight at the age of three kept it in adolescence. The study results were recently published in the journal "New England Journal of Medicine".

The critical age, in which long-lasting overweight develops, is according to a current study of the Leipziger university medicine according to between two and six years. About 90 percent of the young overweight keep the increased body weight into adulthood. (Image: kwanchaichaiudom / fotolia.com)

Overweight in infancy

"The disease often manifests itself very early in childhood," explains the study director Professor. Antje Körner in a press release from the University of Leipzig. At the same time, the likelihood that small children with obesity will return to normal weight in adolescence is less than 20 percent.

The critical age for long-term overweight

As the researchers pointed out in the long-term study, children who are obese in the first two years of life have a 50 percent chance of returning to normal weight. From the age of three, this likelihood drops to ten percent. Conversely, "About 90 percent of these children were overweight or obese even as adolescents," write the experts.

Between two and six years, the risk is greatest

"We were able to use our data to show that the weight of adolescents with overweight and obesity increased most between two and six years," says Körner. Even then, BMI (Body Mass Index) continues to increase, worsening the level of obesity year after year.

The birth weight also has influence

According to the analysis, birth weight also has an influence on the subsequent development of body weight. For example, around half of the babies, who were very tall and heavy at birth, also later showed a higher BMI in childhood and adolescence. In contrast, more than 70 percent of children with normal or low birth weight did not later become overweight.

Not every overweight adult was an overweight child

"Of course, the incidence of obesity in adults is even higher and not every overweight adult was an overweight child," Körner emphasizes. Nevertheless, most children still have their overweight in adulthood. Excessive weight gain in children under six could be an early warning sign of later obesity.

Intervene early to prevent complications

"If obesity starts in early childhood, it will most likely persist - with all the consequences for the development of complications such as high blood pressure already in adolescence or young adulthood," warns Prof. Dr. med. Antje Körner. The expert suggests that paediatricians, educators and parents should start watching growth and weight early on to identify high-risk children. (Vb)