According to The World Health Organization...Consequences of Childhood Obesity on Adults

Reposted by YevoFoodClub.com

Full Article http://www.who.int/end-childhood-obesity/facts/en/

Consequences of obesity in childhood

Obese children are more likely to develop a variety of health problems as adults. These include:

• cardiovascular disease
• insulin resistance (often an early sign of impending diabetes)
• musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis - a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints)
• some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon)
• disability.

Contributors to obesity in infants and children

Every aspect of the environment in which children are conceived, born and raised can contribute to their risk of becoming overweight or obese. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes (a form of diabetes occurring during pregnancy) may result in increased birth weight and risk of obesity later in life.
Choosing healthy foods for infants and young children is critical because food preferences are established in early life. Feeding infants energy-dense, high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt foods is a key contributor to childhood obesity.
Lack of information about sound approaches to nutrition and poor availability and affordability of healthy foods contribute to the problem. The aggressive marketing of energy-dense foods and beverages to children and families further exacerbate it. In some societies, longstanding cultural norms (such as the widespread belief that a fat baby is a healthy baby) may encourage families to over-feed their children.
The increasingly urbanized and digitalized world offers fewer opportunities for physical activity through healthy play. Being overweight or obese further reduces children’s opportunities to participate in group physical activities. They then become even less physically active, which makes them likely to become more overweight over time.