Health Costs of a Chubby Childhood

Childhood obesity rates have nearly tripled in the last three decades, and the first wave of those affected are now well into adulthood.  Kristen Nadeau, from the University of Colorado Cancer Center (Colorado, USA), and colleagues present evidence that suggests that childhood obesity may itself be enough to cause outcomes including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and its associated cardiovascular, retinal and renal complications, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, asthma, orthopedic complications, psychiatric disease, and increased rates of cancer, among others. Warning that: “Being obese as a child also increases the likelihood of being obese as an adult, and obesity in adulthood also leads to obesity-related complications,” the study authors submit that their data serves as “evidence for childhood obesity as a predictor of adult obesity and obesity-related disorders, thereby emphasizing the importance of early intervention to prevent the onset of obesity in childhood.”