FAMILY MEDICINE® COLUMN
By John C. Wolf, D.O.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine®
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

FAT BABIES OFTEN BECOME FAT ADULTS

Question: My niece is a very chubby baby. My sister doesn't seem concerned, but I am. I've heard that being very overweight as a baby increases the risk of serious weight problems as an adult, but other friends tell this is nonsense. Who is correct?

Answer: Being overweight as a child creates twice the risk of being overweight as an adult. And overweight adults have a much greater chance of having diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and other illnesses. There are also, of course, the negative social implications of being overweight. So, considering all these factors, you are wise in your desire to help your niece avoid obesity. It is important to remember, however, that every chubby baby does not becomes an overweight adult. So in a sense both you and your sister are correct.

A related question that researchers have tried but so far have failed to answer is why would being an overweight baby increase one's risk of being an overweight adult. A theory set forth in the 1970s suggested that there are three times when the actual number of fat cells increases before birth, the first year of life and during adolescence. Being overweight at these times will cause more fat cells to be formed, as contrasted to increasing the size of existing fat cells as normally happens.

When an individual has an increased number of fat cells and is overweight, we doctors give it the fancy name "hypercellular obesity." While an overweight person with the normal number of fat cells each of which is swollen with fat has a condition known in doctor jargon as "hyperplastic" obesity.

The 1970s theory suggests that fat babies become obese adults because their larger number of fat cells more easily acquire and hold fat. It's a great idea, but reality is more complicated than this.

Adult obesity is almost always a direct function of eating habits. The types and quantity of food usually eaten as well as the frequency of meals are major factors. When the amount of calories consumed is greater than what the body burns during its daily activities, it will invariably give rise to obesity.

Our eating "habits" are behaviors each of us learn mainly from our families. So, those children who model the unhealthy eating habits of their families or who are allowed to adopt them a particular problem in adolescence have a significant risk for adult obesity.

Another risk factor for obesity is one's habits regarding physical activity. Studies of children show that those with obesity often eat no more than their lean counterparts. It is what they don't do that causes problems they do not get as much physical activity to burn those calories. This is also true of adults.

For a lifetime of good health, I think it is important to show our children, by example, the benefit of regular vigorous physical activity. Sports are a pleasant and popular choice for obtaining this exercise. We also need to teach our children to eat sensibly. Being a very "round" baby is not itself a serious problem, but it may predict

the general attitude that parents have toward obesity and suggest that they will be inattentive to its added health risks as their child grows.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to John C. Wolf, D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.