There are reasons to pay attention to your child’s weight beyond appearance. Lifelong problems can result from being overweight. Today, the U.S. Health and Human Services reports that one of every three children is overweight or obese, but instead of combating this, we are in moral struggle as we attempt to teach acceptance of all body types. But for those in medicine, physical education, and the fitness industry, ignoring the fact that the prevalence for obesity among children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011 would be negligent. Beyond physical abilities and appearance, beyond what this crisis says about our lifestyles and how destructive our habits and allowable foods have become, there are long term issues associated with being an overweight child. Just how does being overweight impact a child’s health?
FAT CELLS
Fat cells or, adipose tissue, protect vital organs, store energy, and efficiently direct the traffic of hormones and chemicals that promote bone growth, help metabolism, and keep the brain healthy. That flow is interrupted, however, with obesity. Obesity triples the number of fat cells, which continue to multiply during a person’s life, adversely affecting the body, organs, and brain. This certainly applies to overweight and obese children.1
Chronic overeating increases fat cells three or four times their size. Once a fat cell reaches capacity, it splits, creating a new set. A higher concentration of body fat translates to larger fat cells. This is important because new research has found that fat cells set from childhood remain with a person throughout his or her life, even with great weight loss.2 Statistically speaking, few people become obese as adults! While 75 percent of obese children grow up to be obese adults, only 10 percent of those who had had a healthy weight become obese.3
SCORE CARD
Fat cell development (or growth) in pre- and adolescent years is critical. The welfare of an overweight child, the “chubby kid,” can no longer be ignored. While many parents wait and wonder if the excess fat is a transitional phase from child to teen, lifelong cell could be developing. Check things out for yourself.Talk to your doctor, get active, cook healthy meals at home, and make a lifestyle change for the entire family. It’s a lifelong gift!
1 Wall, J. (August 5, 2012). Hartford Health and Science Examiner. Here’s the Skinny on Fat.
2 National Institute of Health. (May 12, 2008). NIH Research Matters. Fat Cell Numbers in Teen Years Linger for a Lifetime.
3 http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/05/04/fat-cell-number-is-set-in-childhood-and-stays-in-ad/. (2008, May 4).
Alex, this was a great read and very eye-opening. I agree that parents need to get on top of this issue before it becomes a lifelong health problem for their children.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about the fat cells as well! More evidence that we need to get our kids moving! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteI was surprised about the fat cells as well! More evidence that we need to get our kids moving! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteI was surprised about the fat cells as well! More evidence that we need to get our kids moving! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteThere is a fine line between acceptance of things and negligence in my opinion, and you hit the nail on the head with this article. The social impacts of children (and adults) being overweight are huge no matter how much we try to preach strong self-confidence. The time spent sitting back and wondering if this and if that should be used to take action in becoming healthy. Fitness leaders should be able to find motivating ways to instill being physically fit. It is a shame that as we advance in our field and education, that the percentage of obese people in our nation has climbed to unprecedented heights. If we truly care about our loved ones, we will pass on the knowledge and practices to improve the lifelong health of our nation.
ReplyDeletePerfectly stated! I'm so glad you're in the field to work with younger athletes. I struggled with whether to publish this because I knew it would hurt some feelings. You are so right about the push to sell confidence for weight issues ... I didn't want to be tagged as a body-shaming person but the truth is, the long term effects for these kids is huge. Thanks for your comments.
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