From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-388539-642785
NORFOLK, Va. (UPI) -- Obesity prevention efforts should begin as early
as age 2, when children reach a "tipping point," U.S. researchers
said.
Dr. John W. Harrington, a pediatrician at Virginia's Children's
Hospital of The King's Daughters, examined records of 111 overweight
children from a suburban pediatric practice. All of the children had
their height and weight measured at least five times during pediatric
visits. The average age was 12.
Children whose body mass index exceeded that of 85 percent of the
general population were classified as overweight. Researchers charted
the recorded body mass index of the children from infancy. They found
that the obese children had started gaining weight in infancy at an
average rate of .08 excess BMI units per month. On average, they began
this progression at three months of age.
"This study suggests that doctors may want to start reviewing the diet
of children during early well-child visits," Harrington said in a
statement. "By the time they reach 8 years old, they're already far
into the overweight category, making treatment more difficult."