A mother's love may be unconditional,
but her genes can be a burden for some children, research
suggests.
By the time they're 6
years old, children of overweight moms are 15 times
more likely to be obese than children of lean mothers,
says a study by researchers at The Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.
The findings demonstrate
the impact of genetics on childhood obesity and suggest
that obesity prevention efforts should target such children
at risk -- ideally by the time they're 4.
The study appears in
the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.
Researchers tracked 70
children from infancy until they were 6 years old. Of
those children, 33 had overweight moms and 37 had lean
mothers. During their first two years of life, the children
showed little difference in weight and body composition.
But that changed by age
4, when greater overall body weight was noted on children
whose mothers were overweight. By the time they were
6, these children had both greater body weight and more
body fat than the children of lean mothers.
"We found dramatic increases
in body fat between the ages of 3 and 6. This suggests
that some genes controlling body weight may become active
during this period," lead researcher Dr. Robert I. Berkowitz,
chairman of child and adolescent psychiatry and executive
director of the Behavioral Health Center at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement.
"This research has important
implications for preventing obesity. It points to an
important target group -- children whose mothers are
overweight," study co-author Dr. Virginia A. Stallings,
director of the Nutrition Center in the division of
gastroenterology and nutrition, said in a prepared statement.
"There could be greater
benefits to focusing intense prevention efforts toward
these children, rather than to the entire pediatric
population," Stallings said.
More information
The American Academy
of Family Physicians has more about dealing
with weight problems in children.
