Health experts often talk about the childhood obesity epidemic and about the importance of kids getting to a healthy weight.
Few parents realize just how important it really is.
In addition to leading to poor self-esteem, overweight children can experience social discrimination, and are at risk for many diseases that were once thought to only affect overweight adults, such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Effects of Childhood Obesity
Being overweight raises a child's risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes - especially in overweight children with a family history of type 2 diabetes.
- Cardiovascular disease - including having a high cholesterol level and high blood pressure.
- Sleep apnea - with loud snoring, labored breathing, and poor sleeping.
- Hepatic steatosis - fatty degeneration of the liver, with raised liver function tests.
- Asthma - although still controversial, many experts think that the rise in asthma and childhood obesity may be related.
- Slipped capital femoral epiphysis - a cause of hip pain in children between the ages of 10 and 16, especially boys who are overweight.
- Cholecystitis - gallballader disease and gallstones, with abdominal pain, fever and jaundice.
- Pancreatitis - with upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
- Pseudotumor cerebri - also called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which can cause headaches and vision changes.
- Becoming an overweight adult.
Sources:
CDC. Childhood Overweight and Obesity. Consequences.
Childhood obesity. Speiser PW - J Clin Endocrinol Metab - 01-MAR-2005; 90(3): 1871-87
Dietary factors and the development of asthma. Litonjua AA - Immunol Allergy Clin North Am - 01-AUG-2008; 28(3): 603-29
Hormonal and metabolic consequences of childhood obesity. Artz E - Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am - 01-SEP-2005; 34(3): 643-58.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in children. Roberts EA - Clin Liver Dis - 01-FEB-2007; 11(1): 155-72
