Obesity is taking over the world, but new research reveals that there may be a way to reverse what experts are calling the global "epidemic of severe obesity." New research reveals that a simple measurement can predict an infant's likelihood of developing weight problems.
The latest research comes just after reports that obesity has tripled in men and doubled in women worldwide from 1975 to 2014. If trends continue, scientists publishing in the scientific journal The Lancet believe that more than one in five adults could be obese by 2025.
However, new research may reveal a way to stop the global trend of obesity conformity - by catching it early on. Researchers said that measuring the body mass index of 6-month-olds could help predict future risk of obesity. Dr. Allison Smego believes that the latest findings may have implications on pediatric recommendations.
"It's not currently recommended to measure BMI in children under the age of 2, but we say it should be because we now know it predicts obesity risk later," said Smego, lead researcher of the current study and fellow in the division of Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Center.
"Pediatricians can identify high-risk infants with BMI above the 85th percentile and focus additional counseling and education regarding healthy lifestyles toward the families of these children. Our hope in using this tool is that we can prevent obesity in early childhood," added Smego.
Smego and her team at the Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Center recently found that body mass index measurements at six months of age can predict obesity at two and six years of age. According to researchers, the latest study is the first to show that children who go on to develop obesity show differences in weight gain during infancy.
"Body mass index at 6, 12 or 18 months of age above the 85th percentile on the growth chart can accurately predict children at risk for early childhood obesity," said Smego. "These children have a high lifetime risk for persistent obesity and metabolic disease and should be monitored closely at a very young age."
The latest study involved groups of children of all sizes under the age of six. Researchers also noted the study also included severely obese children under specialized care at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
The latest findings were presented April 1 at the national Endocrine Society meeting in Boston.
