What Does the Study Actually Show?<\/strong><\/p>\n This was a very well done study. It followed 7738 children of all socioeconomic classes who were enrolled in kindergarten (mean age 5.6) in the US in 1998 and followed them through the 8th grade (mean age 14.1) (Cunningham et al, New England Journal of Medicine, 370: 403-411, 2014).<\/p>\n When the children entered kindergarten, 12.4% of them were obese, and another 14.9% of them were overweight. By the time they reached the 8th grade 20.8% were obese and 17% were overweight. Those results didn\u2019t make the headlines. They are similar to many previous studies.<\/p>\n The results that made the headlines were:<\/p>\n These results are fully consistent with earlier studies showing that overweight toddlers are likely to become overweight teens, and overweight teens are likely to become overweight adults. What was unique about this study (and generated the headlines) was the precision of the statistics.<\/p>\n Does Obesity Begin In Kindergarten?<\/strong><\/p>\n The answer to that question is clearly yes. However, the more important question is what message we, as responsible health advocates, should be sharing with the general public. Let me break that down to some of the most important questions that you are probably asking.<\/p>\n Is Obesity Caused By Bad Genes Or Bad Lifestyle?<\/strong><\/p>\n However, the authors of the study also noted that the percentage of children aged 6 to 11 who are above the 95% percentile of weight has increased 4-fold between 1963 and 2000. Genetics does not change in a mere 37 years (37 generations maybe). That 4-fold increase in severe childhood obesity is clearly driven by lifestyle changes over the past 30 or 40 years.<\/p>\n While nobody knows the exact percentages, a reasonable interpretation of recent research in this area might be:<\/p>\n So the answer to this question is BOTH. For most of us, obesity is caused by bad genes AND bad lifestyle.<\/p>\n When Should We Intervene?<\/strong><\/p>\n You probably already know that any extra fat cells we develop in childhood never go away. They are always with us, looking for those extra calories they can store as fat.<\/p>\n This study suggests that by the time we are in kindergarten, the die may already be cast. Those extra fat cells may have already developed.<\/p>\n And, for many people, the time to intervene may be even sooner. This study also showed that birth weight plays an important role as well. Children who weighed 9 pounds or more at birth were 2-fold more likely to be obese in kindergarten than children who weighed less than 9 pounds at birth.<\/p>\n Once again, a small percentage of overweight babies is due to genetics, but it is lifestyle choices during pregnancy that lead to the majority of overweight babies.<\/p>\n The authors of the study noted that most public health initiatives (school lunch programs, lifestyle education programs, etc.) are targeted at school aged children. The authors went on to say that by then it may be too late to have any significant effect on the incidence of obesity in our children.<\/p>\n They suggested that we need to place a stronger emphasis on influencing lifestyle changes that affect the weight of babies at birth and are likely to influence whether or not they become obese by the time they reach kindergarten.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not the realm of public health policy. That\u2019s our responsibility.<\/p>\n What Should You Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n If You Are Pregnant<\/span>:<\/p>\n If You Have a Young Child Who Is Overweight<\/span>:<\/p>\n I know some of you are saying \u201cMy kids won\u2019t eat healthy stuff\u201d. Let me give you my take on that.<\/p>\n When I was a kid, my mom had a pretty simple policy. If I didn\u2019t like what she cooked, I didn\u2019t have to eat it. I could simply wait until the next meal \u2013 when she would be serving the same kinds of healthy foods again.<\/p>\n I got the message pretty quick. It wasn\u2019t eat healthy or eat junk food. It was eat healthy or go hungry. I decided early on that healthy was better than hungry.<\/p>\n Now, let me step down from my soapbox and summarize.<\/p>\n The Bottom Line<\/strong>:<\/p>\n 1) The latest research suggests that if a child is overweight by kindergarten, they are likely to be overweight for the rest of their lives. So if you want to spare your kids and grandkids from a lifetime of obesity, you want to intervene early.<\/p>\n 2) A small percentage of those kids are destined to be obese no matter what they do. However, for the vast majority of them obesity can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n 3) If you are pregnant, don\u2019t \u201ceat for two\u201d. That is terrible advice. If your pre-pregnancy weight is stable (neither increasing or decreasing), you only need to add a serving or two of healthy foods to your diet during pregnancy. Check with your doctor about the amount of weight gain that is right for you and follow their advice.<\/p>\n 4) If you have a young child who appears to be overweight, don\u2019t restrict their calories. Instead, provide them with healthy food choices and encourage them to exercise.<\/p>\n 5) Finally, if you have been overweight since childhood, don\u2019t despair. For most of us obesity is a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices. You can\u2019t your genes, but you can change your lifestyle.<\/p>\n About The Author<\/span> Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.<\/p>\n Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators \u201cExcellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award\u201d. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.<\/p>\n For the past 35 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.<\/p>\n Additional Resources to Help You:<\/b><\/p>\n For assistance with proper supplementation, nutrition and fitness,\n
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<\/a>Taken on face value, the results of this study might seem to suggest that genetics is the primary cause of obesity. However, if that is the message we convey to the public, it is likely to simply fuel the perception that most overweight individuals are genetically destined to be obese. There is nothing they can do about it. So, why even bother trying?<\/p>\n\n
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.<\/h6>\n
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