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03/02/2015
The research, conducted by the University of Southampton, said the findings provide more evidence that a child's early environment before and shortly after birth affects the likelihood of becoming obese in later life.
So-called early life 'risk factors' have previously been identified in other studies, but fewer have looked at the the combined effects. This new research claims that having a larger number of these risk factors is a "strong predictor" of being obese as a child.
For the study, the team looked at five early life risk factors; a short duration of breastfeeding (less than one month), as well as four maternal factors during pregnancy – obesity, excess pregnancy weight gain, smoking, and low vitamin D status. The data was provided by 991 children taking part in the Southampton Women's Survey.
It was revealed that by the age of four, infants with four or five of the factors were 3.99 times more likely to be overweight or obese than children who had no factors; while fat mass was around 19% higher on average.
By the age of six, the study said that the risk increased further, with these children 4.65 times more likely to be overweight or obese, with fat mass 47% higher.
However, it was pointed out that these differences were not explained by other factors, such as a child's quality of diet or physical activity levels.
Professor Sian Robinson, study leader, explained: "Early life may be a 'critical period' when appetite and regulation of energy balance are programmed, which has lifelong consequences for the risk of gaining excess weight.
"Although the importance of early prevention is recognised, much of the focus is on school-aged children. Our findings suggest that interventions to prevent obesity need to start earlier, even before conception, and that having a healthy body weight and not smoking at this time could be key."
Professor Cyrus Cooper, Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, added: "This study is a very good example of the programme of multidisciplinary research being conducted at the Unit, in which we are seeking to understand the role of the mother's diet and lifestyle as influences on the development and body composition of her child.
"The large differences in the risk of being overweight in childhood that were shown in this study highlight the importance of early life risk factors. These findings could have important implications for obesity prevention policy and will help us to design future interventions aimed at optimising body composition, with benefits for lifelong health."
The research was carried out by scientists from the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton, with the findings published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(JP/IT)
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Improving Health Before Pregnancy Could Prevent Childhood Obesity
A new study has claimed that a woman who improves her health before pregnancy, could help prevent obesity in their child when they are older.The research, conducted by the University of Southampton, said the findings provide more evidence that a child's early environment before and shortly after birth affects the likelihood of becoming obese in later life.
So-called early life 'risk factors' have previously been identified in other studies, but fewer have looked at the the combined effects. This new research claims that having a larger number of these risk factors is a "strong predictor" of being obese as a child.
For the study, the team looked at five early life risk factors; a short duration of breastfeeding (less than one month), as well as four maternal factors during pregnancy – obesity, excess pregnancy weight gain, smoking, and low vitamin D status. The data was provided by 991 children taking part in the Southampton Women's Survey.
It was revealed that by the age of four, infants with four or five of the factors were 3.99 times more likely to be overweight or obese than children who had no factors; while fat mass was around 19% higher on average.
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By the age of six, the study said that the risk increased further, with these children 4.65 times more likely to be overweight or obese, with fat mass 47% higher.
However, it was pointed out that these differences were not explained by other factors, such as a child's quality of diet or physical activity levels.
Professor Sian Robinson, study leader, explained: "Early life may be a 'critical period' when appetite and regulation of energy balance are programmed, which has lifelong consequences for the risk of gaining excess weight.
"Although the importance of early prevention is recognised, much of the focus is on school-aged children. Our findings suggest that interventions to prevent obesity need to start earlier, even before conception, and that having a healthy body weight and not smoking at this time could be key."
Professor Cyrus Cooper, Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, added: "This study is a very good example of the programme of multidisciplinary research being conducted at the Unit, in which we are seeking to understand the role of the mother's diet and lifestyle as influences on the development and body composition of her child.
"The large differences in the risk of being overweight in childhood that were shown in this study highlight the importance of early life risk factors. These findings could have important implications for obesity prevention policy and will help us to design future interventions aimed at optimising body composition, with benefits for lifelong health."
The research was carried out by scientists from the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton, with the findings published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(JP/IT)
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