More than one-third of children and teenagers in the United States are obese or overweight. Obesity at an early age can lead to lifelong health problems like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Now children obesity is increasing world wide due to diet and daily life routine.
In children measuring fat and weight is very difficult as during child hood and in teenage some fat is required for proper development. Promoting weight loss in children, however, can be complicated. Because their bodies are growing, some weight gain is normal. Excess weight occurs when calories eaten are greater than the energy the body needs. However, growing evidence shows that the body’s metabolism can change as you alter your diet or exercise habits. Keeping track of these metabolic changes can be difficult, especially during childhood growth.
For this researchers has developed a mathematical model that simulates how weight and body fat in children respond to changes in the diet and physical activity.
Using the model, the scientists were able to identify major differences between obese adults and children. For example, a child under age 10 requires more than twice as many calories as an adult to gain excess weight.
The model suggests that the adolescent growth spurts of obese boys might be harnessed to “outgrow” obesity. By successfully maintaining weight from ages 11 to 16, simulated boys lost their excess body fat. However, the effect wasn’t as pronounced in simulated obese girls, suggesting that obese girls would likely need to lose weight to normalize their body fat during this period.
Obese children are much more likely to become obese adults, which makes achieving or maintaining a healthy weight early in life vitally important,” says NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers. This study suggests that we may need to approach weight management and obesity prevention differently in youth than in adults.
References
- http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587%2813%2970051-2/fulltext
- http://nih.gov/researchmatters/august2013/08122013weight.htm