Childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is, according to the World Health Organization, one of the problems most serious public health doséculo XXI, especially in so-called developing countries. In 2010, there were 42 million overweight children worldwide, of which 35 million lived in developing countries.

Obesity is related to a number of factors such as diet and physical activity, as well as biological, behavioral and psychological. This is not a problem merely aesthetic. Besides often suffering "bullying" from colleagues, obese children tend to develop various health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and malformation of the skeleton. Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk factor for dysfunction in the world. Each year, at least 2.8 million people die as a result of adults overweight or obesity. 44% of diabetes cases, 23% of cases of ischemic heart disease and from 7% to 41% of cases of some cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity.

The WHO believes that obesity has become an epidemic. According to the Organization, overweight and obese children tend to become obese adults and are more likely to acquire earlier non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The WHO considers a priority the prevention of childhood obesity.

Causes

Excess weight can be caused by two major factors: the hypertrophy (increase in fat cell size) or hyperplasia (increased number of fat cells). When a fat cell is generated, it must remain in the body until the death of the individual. Therefore the only way to eliminate excess weight is fat elimination of that cell. Why is this so hard to eliminate obesity, after childhood and adolescence.

Many people in the day-to-day have many appointments during the day and end up having to have lunch, dinner or a snack on fast foods - a bad habit that can pass from parents to children and children to their grandchildren.

A nursery in Fortaleza (2005), a survey was conducted regarding childhood obesity and ineffective breastfeeding with 90 kids. The evaluation results were as follows: 57.7% (normal weight), 14.4% (overweight), 13.3% (obese), 11.1% (underweight) and 3.3% (malnourished) . Observed in the survey that 60% of children had a pattern of ineffective breastfeeding (<6 months and not breastfed), 60% of them lived in households with a monthly income of less than minimum wage.

According to the study, was able to create a relationship of obesity with ineffective breastfeeding. Despite the inability of research controlling for other factors that might be related (the child's birth weight, caloric intake, level of physical activity) were crucial to the results suggest that an ineffective breastfeeding, linked to a poor socioeconomic status, may favor the emergence a scenario conducive to childhood obesity.

The importance of breast milk to the child's development and for preventing the emergence of other diseases is an issue and advocated widespread throughout the world (eg the U.S. was discovered a protein in mother's milk, adiponectin, one that is able to control how the body processes sugars and milk fats.). But we must emphasize that the mechanisms that could lead to a lack of breast milk to obesity are not completely clear. Probably would be linked to "metabolic imprinting", promoting a decrease in the susceptibility of a baby, which could become obese in childhood and adulthood. We also know that breast milk is composed of factors such as the hormones insulin, T3 and T4 and leptin, acting at the center of feeding and satiety, located in the hypothalamus, regulating energy balance metabolism child.

Research conducted by the University of Colorado in the United States, show that the addiction to fast food begins in pregnancy. According to scholars, the mother's diet during pregnancy sensitizes the fetus to smell certain aromas and flavors, coming to change the development of your brain. Therefore, even after a few years, the child is more inclined to eat this type of food.

In summary we can say that we are easily attracted to such things because of basic reasons that could be circumvented, and well, although we think we are gaining a lot from it, in fact we're wasting a lot like our health.

What can you do to avoid obesity

• If your child takes a bottle, do not force it to suck more than he wants;

• Enter solids feeding your child only after 4 months of age;

• Do not force your child to eat more than he wants;

• Do not offer food as a reward for good behavior;

• Prefer juices to sodas;

• Prepare healthy snacks instead of candy and cookies;

• Encourage your child to practice more sports.