Obesity in children

Many mothers and dads are enthusiastic with chubby cheeks, folds on the handles and the legs of their little karapus. But the kid will grow up, and loving parents and the domestic grandmothers continue to fively feed their belonging child with cakes, cupcakes, rolls, pies with different fillings and other goodies ... And here the child is increasingly gaining weight, in kindergarten and school his peers, calling, calling him «Kolobom», «Pufflik», «Homai», «fatty»... a lot of moral and physical suffering have to endure children, burdened obesity or increased body weight. If your family did not bypassed this problem, our site recommends treating it thoughtfully and seriously. This article will help parents to calculate whether there is an overweight in their child, to understand what the causes of its occurrence are the potential complications. Let's talk about how to warn obesity.

Statistical data

Unfortunately, obesity in children is currently a very common phenomenon. Statistical data show that in Russia 30% of children aged 5 to 7 years have already been observed exceeding the rate on weight and obesity of varying degrees. Studies show that 61% of US residents have an excess mass of body, in Russia, Germany, Great Britain - from 50 to 54%, in Japan and China - 15% of the population. Polls indicate that only 30% of mothers follow that their children have proper nutrition. In the many families there is a mistaken belief that a full child is a healthy child. Doctors note three critical periods (stages) when there is a special risk and cases of obesity: early age (from birth to 3 years old), preschool age (from 5 to 7 years old) and adolescence (from 12 to 16 years ) is an important stage of puberty and rearrangements in the body.

How to calculate the normal weight of the child

Child's body mass depends on gender, growth, age, hereditary factors, nutrition character, health. In appearance it is difficult to say a disturbed child or he has obesity. I will give a special formula for parents to calculate the normal weight from a year to seven years and decide on this issue. To count the number of years of the child multiply to 2 and add 8 to the work. And then compare the obtained number with the real weight of the son or daughter. But to say for sure whether it is worth worrying parents about the weight of the child or not, can only do. Doctors have many special central tables in which the floor is taken into account, age and growth. Such tables allow you to accurately determine even the degree of obesity. And all the degrees allocate four. Tables and updated growth rates and the weight of children if desired, it is easy to find on the Internet.

Causes of obesity

Obesity in children are divided into an alimentary and exchange depending on the cause of its occurrence.

1. An alimentary obesity arises due to the wrong diet and maintaining a low-propelled (passive) lifestyle.
2. Exchange (endocrine) obesity occurs due to the course of the body of diseases of the glands of the internal secretion - thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries (girls).

More accurate causes of excess weight reveals and establishes a qualified specialist, examining the child, talking with his parents and having received data from some surveys. But assuming the reason can be based on some signs associated with overweight:

1. When not only in a child, but at least one of the parents also marked excess weight, it can be assumed that in the diet of this family, high-calorie foods are rich in fats and carbohydrates (sweets, baking). This is just an alimentary obesity case.
2. When a child plays a long time at the computer, watching movies on TV, moves little and almost does not walk on the street with other children, then this indicates an explicit imbalance between the energy obtained and spent.
3. In the infants, the excess weight appears when the incorrect lipid abundant supplies of carbohydrates and lipids.
4. If the excess body has a baby already at birth at birth, and even added to this: Delay in development, late formed the ability to keep the head, sit, walk, did not teetted the teeth for a long time, often appeared swelling on the face, then you need to pay attention to the thyroid gland and Hormone production. The described symptoms and obesity can be signs of hypothyroidism, that is, the lack of a thyroid gland function.
5. Adding muscle weakness, mental retardation, squints speak of congenital genetic diseases, such as Down syndrome and other hereditary pathologies.
6. If a fat schoolboy has poor performance, complains of drowsiness, fast fatigue, dry skin and constipation, It may be associated with a disadvantage of iodine in the body and failures in the work of the thyroid gland.
7. When fat is postponed mainly on the face, neck and stomach, with the advent of purple stretch marks, bright pink cheeks, and thin, then the adrenal glands and the number of glucocorticoids should be checked.
8. Sometimes obesity occurs after bruises, concussions and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis, meningitis), then a hypophy should be examined. This iron controls the work of all other organism glands. The lack of a pituitary operation can also be the cause of obesity. The symptoms of increased pressure inside the skull point to the brain tumor, and because of this, there are also violations in metabolic processes.

As you can see, only additional surveys and analyzes can help identify the cause of obesity.

Possible complications

Whether overweight is dangerous in children? Yes, obesity can lead to such serious diseases, not at all characteristic of children's and adolescence:

• hypertension, atherosclerosis, angina, heart failure;
• Sleep is disturbed - there are episodic respiratory stops, snore;
• Fat hepatosis, leading most often to liver cirrhosis, cholecystitis, Pancreatitis, constipation, haemorrhoids;
• Big weight «Davit» on the bone skeleton, leading to the deformation of the joints, the destruction of the cartilage, pain in the knees, flatfoot;
• Insulin lack leads to Diabetes, developing in type II;
• These children and adolescents have few friends, they are forced to be in social isolation, have a shortage of communication, they do not understand them, offend, which can lead to their future to depression, Alcoholism;
• In women, from an early age of overweight, more risk of occurrence infertility.

Basic diagnostic methods

To identify exact reasons for overweight, the doctor can give a direction for analyzes and surveys:

• blood test by the amount of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and other indicators that will indicate the presence or absence of liver diseases, diabetes;
• The analysis of urine and blood on the number of hormones is done in cases where the doctor suspects a child from the disease of the endocrine system;
• To eliminate diseases of the pituitary gland or tumor processes, the doctor prescribes magnetic resonance tomography or computed tomography, abbreviated MRI and CT.

How to prevent excess weight in a child?

Of course, the fight against obesity is a long-term process, it depends on the reasons that the doctor will establish, contacting the child and his parents. In the future, it is necessary to strictly observe all the recommendations of the doctor to achieve a strong result. The basic principles of treatment include an individually selected diet, satisfying physical exertion, lifestyle change, in some cases - medicinal treatment or surgical operations.

1. As a rule, a nutritionist, given the characteristics of the child and age, gives parents all the necessary recommendations on dietary nutrition, having calculated how much a small patient of fats, Carbohydrates, Proteins, Vitamins and Minerals. Even the mother of the baby up to a year, already having overweight, the pediatrician will advise, what cereals and children's mixtures to enter into lures, and from what should be refused. From an early age, teach your chubby baby to food, in which some sugar. As a sweetener, it is useful to use the plant - Stevia. Welcome in the diet (zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, green pods, carrots), greens, fruits with a small content of sugars and calories (currants, blueberries, raspberry, sea buckthorn). Less steeplest potatoes, flour dishes. Pasta is sometimes allowed, but from varieties of wheat coarse grinding. In some cases, reduce weight helps the transition to Separate meals. For example, to a fish and a boiler to serve not familiar masculine mashed potatoes, and a garnish of vegetables for the season. Do not forget about bran, improving the digestion and elimination of unnecessary intestinal. Try to limit those inclined to complete children in cookies, candies, chocolate cakes, ice cream and other sweet pastry. Growing organism constantly needs low-fat meat (veal, bird), low-fat fish and cottage cheese. But the sour cream and cream can only be given occasionally. Exclude refractory fats - pork, bars fat, margarine. All this is badly absorbed by the body and postponed «in reserve». Salads more expedient to fill in vegetable oils. Take a kid to eat slowly, well burning. When you are not in a hurry, the feeling of satiety arises faster. Let's eat a fat child 5-6 times a day, but small portions. Early in the morning is obligatory breakfast, He charges energy and vigor, sealing calorie dishes to eat in the morning, and light food is useful in the evening. Do not feed your child for the night, dinner is appropriate to arrange 3 hours before sleep.
2. It is impossible to reduce weight without physical activity. Parents need to try to pick up classes for a child who will be interesting for him and useful. It can be swimming, aerobics, athletics, football, tennis, gymnastics or other sections. Organize a lot of moving games, it is desirable even to be carried out in the fresh air - in the forest, park, in the open stadium. Parents themselves should be an example for a child. You can run the whole family along the alley, make cycling, visit the pool, play badminton or volleyball on the bank of the river in the summer or skiing on the snow-covered forest. Here the mass of pleasant impressions and a set of health improvement measures are combined.
3. The child with overweight needs support and understanding from parents. Important and friendly atmosphere in the family. When a child is complex about excess weight or there are symptoms of depression, consultation with a psychotherapist or a good psychologist is desirable. Often the reason for unnecessary kilograms is psychological.
4. Drug therapy. Many adults are resorted to drugs for Reduced appetite and dropping extra weight. But about the influence of these drugs on a children's or adolescent organism while little data. Therefore, doctors at the moment try not to prescribe serious drugs to small patients. If the cause of obesity is endocrine disorders, then diet, use in the diet of useful products and medicines will help to correct the work of the endocrine glands.
5. Surgical operations proceed if the cause of the weight gain is a pituitary tumor requiring it to remove. And only in extreme cases, in which the surgical treatment of obesity in the child is vital, resort to this method. And the section of surgery engaged in such operations is called Bariatraya.

It is very important that parents understand that it is impossible to overpay your beloved child. MirSovet is convinced: proper nutrition and mobile life will help to avoid obesity. Do not scold children if they still scored overweight. When some parents call their children clumsy, non-historical, fat, trying to merge them on weight loss, they make a mistake, inflicting a psychological injury to his son or her daughter for life. The correct actions will be the search for the cause of obesity, support for your child, consultation and compliance with the recommendations of specialists who help solve this problem. Follow the right nutrition in your family and the weight of children so that they increase cheerful, slender and healthy!