Puppy fat could lead to obesity

2006-05-05 09:07

Parents who believe that puppy fat (US: baby fat) on a child will disappear may be dooming their offspring to adult obesity, says a study published online by the British Medical Journal on Saturday.

Researchers tracked 5 863 children in South London between the ages of 11-12 and 16-17.

Those who had excess weight at the start of the monitoring continued with it at the end.

"Children who are obese when they enter secondary school will very likely leave it obese," the authors say.

"The findings indicate that persistent obesity is established before age 11 and highlight the need to prevent obesity in the early years."

The biggest risk was posed for girls, especially black girls or girls from a lower socio-economic background. Up to 38% of individuals in these categories were overweight or obese.

There was little difference among the boys when it came to ethnicity, although socio-economic status was also a contributing factor to being overweight.

The paper was lead-authored by Jane Wardle, a professor of clinical psychology with Cancer Research UK.

- AFP