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Obesity in the young child: whither and whence?
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to the timing of adiposity rebound, not just infant feeding. Early rebound indicates a higher risk for adult obesity, suggesting broader environmental interventions are needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Childhood Obesity Research
Background:
- Infant obesity in the 1970s was attributed to overfeeding and early weaning, but this explanation was incomplete.
- Childhood obesity follows a cyclical pattern of fat deposition, including a lean phase and an adiposity rebound.
- The age of adiposity rebound is a critical factor in predicting later obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors contributing to infant obesity prevalence.
- To understand the relationship between early life fat deposition patterns and later obesity.
- To identify effective strategies for preventing adult obesity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of historical data on infant and childhood growth patterns.
- Examination of the timing of adiposity rebound in relation to nutritional status.
- Assessment of genetic and environmental influences on fat deposition.
Main Results:
- Infant nutritional status alone does not fully explain obesity prevalence.
- The age of adiposity rebound is a stronger predictor of future obesity than infant feeding practices.
- Genetic predisposition interacts with environmental factors in determining obesity risk.
Conclusions:
- Childhood obesity is a complex issue influenced by cyclical fat deposition and the timing of adiposity rebound.
- Genetic factors play a role, but environmental influences are crucial for their expression.
- Public health strategies focusing on national diet and activity levels may be more effective for preventing adult obesity than individual interventions.
Abstract:
The prevalence of obesity in British infants in the early 1970s has been attributed to overfeeding and early weaning but cannot be totally explained by this. Obesity in early life is a consequence of the cyclical nature of fat deposition in childhood. Fat deposition in early infancy is succeeded by a lean tissue deposition phase and then a further acceleration of fat accretion--the adiposity rebound--in early school years. The age at onset of adiposity rebound relates more closely to later obesity than does the nutritional status in infancy. The propensity to deposit fat readily is probably genetically determined although dependent for expression on the nurturing environment. Since the number of young children at risk of obesity is so great, measures that modify national diet and activity rather than concentrate on controlling individual fat deposition, may be the most efficient way of preventing obesity in adult life.