Stop saying it’s okay to be a little fat when you are a kid. Childhood obesity is likely to continue into adulthood!

Review expert: Shen Yingjian, Director of the Nutrition Department of Hebei Yanda Hospital

From birth, feeding children is the most important concern of parents and elders. A plump and fair child not only looks cute, but is also the best embodiment of "healthy growth". Therefore, children's overweight and obesity have long been ignored by people and become a lifelong problem.

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Two important age groups for childhood obesity

Most parents think that "it's okay for children to be a little fat, they are growing and should eat more", unless they have already developed symptoms of obesity, before that they will think that "being overweight or obese is not a big problem, there is no need to consider losing weight, it is not too late to lose weight when they grow up". Little do they know that adolescents who are obese in childhood are likely to continue to be obese when they grow up, and it will become more difficult to lose weight.

This question starts with adipose tissue .

Paraffin section of adipose tissue Source: Wikipedia

First of all, obesity is mainly caused by the increase of adipose tissue , and the increase of adipose tissue is mainly reflected in two aspects, the increase of fat cell volume and the increase of number . Therefore, obesity can be divided into two categories: one is hypertrophic obesity , which is mainly caused by the increase of fat cell volume, and the other is hyperplastic obesity , which is mainly caused by the increase of fat cell number.

The increase in the number of fat cells is highly correlated with age: it increases significantly between 1 and 2 years old, does not increase significantly between 2 and 10 years old, increases significantly again after 10 years old, and stops increasing and reaches a peak after 18 years old, and remains constant in adulthood.

It can be seen that the number of fat cells will continue to increase before adulthood and reach its peak during adolescence . After adulthood, the number will no longer increase. This is mainly because the differentiation and apoptosis of fat cells in children and adolescents are relatively active and reach their peak before adulthood; and after adulthood, the renewal rate of fat cells slows down (the annual renewal rate is about 10%), so the number of fat cells remains relatively constant.

That is to say, there are two key sensitive periods for the increase in the number of fat cells, one is about one year after birth, and the other is around puberty. Parents need to pay attention to the two periods of rapid increase in the number of fat cells: do not be proud of fat children, do not think that fat represents health, it is the basis for the occurrence of metabolic diseases in the future, and you need to be extra careful.

Studies have shown that most obese children have more fat cells than the average adult when they are 11 years old, but the number of cells will continue to increase after the age of 11, reaching almost 2 to 3 times that of normal people in adulthood. The excessive base number of fat cells in adolescence greatly increases the chances of obese children becoming severely obese in adulthood. It is also more difficult to lose weight. Because in adulthood, whether it is through exercise or intervention measures such as controlling diet to lose weight, the number of fat cells will not change significantly, and the volume of fat cells can only be reduced.

Source: pexels

Therefore, childhood obesity and adult obesity are essentially different. The number of fat cells in adults is basically stable, and even if they are obese, the size of the fat cells will only increase. However, for childhood obesity, not only will the size of the fat cells increase, but the number will also increase. Therefore, if the childhood obesity problem continues into adulthood, it will be more difficult to lose weight. Even if they lose weight, the number of fat cells will not decrease, and they will easily gain weight again.

It is particularly important to solve the problem of childhood obesity in childhood and control the number of fat cells within a normal range before adulthood.

Regular physical exercise and diet control are still the two most basic means of controlling obesity. Taking measures and appropriate intervention during the sensitive period of puberty in children can not only reduce the volume of fat cells, but also reduce the number of fat cells, and will also have a positive effect on controlling obesity in adulthood.

In addition, the increase in fat cell volume is also a risk factor for obesity and should not be taken lightly. After all, it is easy to gain weight but difficult to lose weight. Good living habits are developed from an early age.

The dangers of childhood obesity

The problem of childhood obesity is more serious than we thought.

The "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" shows that the overweight and obesity rates of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 in my country are 11.1% and 7.9% respectively, which adds up to 19%. What does this mean? In other words, almost one in every five adolescents is a little fat.

Source: pixabay

Many parents know that children’s obesity is not good for their physical health. For example, they will become easily tired and have difficulty participating in normal physical activities. In severe cases, it may even affect their normal study and life.

But in fact, just like the harm that obesity causes to adults, the chronic diseases and cancers caused by obesity are not far from children, and parents need to pay great attention to them.

Similar to adults, the harm of obesity to adolescents and children is mainly reflected in the following three aspects:

First , obesity causes excessive adipose tissue which has adverse effects on the body, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood lipids, coronary heart disease, and even stroke, which are all metabolic injuries to the body.

Second , it increases the risk of tumors. Thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, and pancreatic cancer are all closely related to obesity.

Third , being overweight puts a burden on the body, such as osteoarthritis. The heavy upper body causes soft tissue damage, and sleep apnea syndrome. These are all related to obesity and being overweight.

Source: pexels

In addition to affecting children's physical health, obesity may also affect their mental health .

Teenagers who are in the rebellious or sensitive period of adolescence are relatively concerned about their appearance. When they see peers with normal weight and well-proportioned figures, they will inevitably feel depressed and even develop inferiority complex and autistic personality.

Parents worry about every aspect of their children's food, clothing, housing and transportation, especially their diet and feeding.

The problem of childhood obesity is difficult, but it is actually easy to solve. Parents can change their worries into scientific care, change their lifestyles, and develop good living habits. If they do this, there will be obvious results.