Obesity is not only due to excessive consumption of foods high in sugars and fats, it is also influenced by genetic factors and the environment in which they live, from the womb to adulthood.
Factors such as having obese minor parents and siblings increase your chances of developing obesity because genes and eating habits are inherited and affect the whole family, find out what are certain situations that promote obesity, as well as poor diet and physical inactivity.
- About 95% of the causes of childhood obesity are related to poor diet.
- Physical inactivity and lifestyle habits that are maintained at home.
- And only 1 to 5% are related to genetic or hormonal factors.
- So the main factors involved in childhood obesity are:.
The first factor associated with childhood obesity is rebellious nutrition, as fat accumulation occurs when the person ingests more calories, sugar and fat than he needs to live, so the body accumulates the extra burden for a future need, in the form of fat, first in the belly and then throughout the body.
Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, and even if you eat good fats like avocado or olive oil, if your body doesn’t need those calories, it will store them as fat.
How to fight: So one of the best strategies for weight loss is to eat less, especially less fat and sugar.See more tips in this video:
Not exercising regularly reduces the body’s metabolism, so the body uses fewer calories than the person ingests and a weight gain occurs.
In the past, children moved more as they ran through the streets, played ball and jumped, but today children became more peaceful, preferring electronic games and television, which, combined with overeating, leads to overweight.
Obese children are more likely to be obese adults because it is during childhood that fat accumulating cells form, so being overweight in childhood leads to the formation of more fat cells, which promotes fat accumulation throughout life.
How to fight: Ideally, kids have only one hour a day playing electronic games or watching TV, and all their free time can be devoted to recreational activities to burn calories.You can enroll your child in children’s sports or play with him with a ball., elastics or other traditional games. Discover some ways to increase your child’s physical activity.
However, genetic burden also seems to influence weight.Having obese parents increases the likelihood that children will be obese because they seem to transmit the genes that cause the disease.In addition, parents may be obese due to poor lifestyle habits, such as not exercising and a balanced diet, which causes their children to make the same mistakes that lead to weight gain.
Some genetic changes that can cause obesity include
The risk of the baby being an obese adult begins during pregnancy, being higher when the pregnant woman is obese or has a poor diet, consuming many sugars, fats and industrialized products.
Additionally, excessive stress and smoking can also lead to changes in fetal genes that promote obesity. This risk also increases when a woman is overweight during pregnancy.
How to fight: Genetics can’t be changed, so ideally look at a child’s health from pregnancy, maintain proper weight and a healthy diet, and teach good lifestyle habits, such as plant-rich foods, fruits, whole grains.and prefers outdoor activities, to keep moving as much as possible.
The intestinal flora of obese people is different from that of people with the appropriate weight, with a smaller variety of bacteria that produce vitamins and favor the absorption of nutrients, the intestinal flora is also responsible for the increased transit in the intestine, which That is why being overweight is also linked to constipation.
How to combat it: Taking a probiotic drug that contains millions of good gut bacteria is a good way to improve intestinal flora, which fights constipation and also helps you lose weight and feel fuller in less time.Another option is stool transplantation.
In obesity, there is a change in genes that produce hormones that control metabolism, feeling hungry and fat buildup, so it is common for obese people to continue eating even when they are already full, which promotes weight gain.Diseases that may be related include:
How to fight: It is recommended to prefer more satisfying and high-fiber foods, determining how many foods you will eat during a meal is also a strategy that works very well, in addition, you should always mark the time at which the next meal will be made.will be prepared, not to eat all the time.
Thus, it can be concluded that there are several factors related to excess weight in childhood and not all can be eliminated.However, when a child is overweight, parents should be very careful with their diet to reach their ideal weight, avoiding the health and emotional problems associated with obesity.Find out what you can do to help your overweight child lose weight.
Watch the video below and learn how to help your child lose weight
According to WHO – World Health Organization, there are three critical periods for the development of obesity: the pregnancy of the child, the period between 5 and 7 years and the stage of adolescence, so in these phases it is even more important to maintain a healthy diet inside and outside the home.