Obesity may be the result of your excessive sugar intake as a child

According to a new study, today's obesity epidemic may be the result of unregulated sugar intake that you may have indulged in decades ago. Read on to know more.

Have you cut your sugar intake but still can't manage to lose weight? Your childhood candies and chocolates are coming back to haunt you. According to a survey in 2018 by the National Institute of Health, USA, India is home to more than 135 million overweight people. And, this number is increasing every day. The reason for the rapid increase in obesity is not your current way of life, but your early childhood lifestyle.

According to a study in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the current obesity rate in adults might be the result of a high-sugar childhood diet. The study says that intake of sugar in children was and, even now, is not regulated. This often manifests as obesity later on in life. Children are given a free pass to eat whatever they like, without any consideration about the amount of sugar they are consuming. The metabolism rate in children is high and this makes it easy for them to digest sugar. This metabolism slows down with age. This is when the sugar inside the body starts to build up and the result is obesity. The journal Science Direct published this study.

LINK BETWEEN SUGAR AND OBESITY

Sugar is a carbohydrate that turns into fat after breakdown in the body. Fats are hard to digest and stay in the system for a long time. This causes obesity. Sugar also affects insulin level and increases the blood sugar level in the body. This spikes hunger, making you consume more meals and calories. Sugar itself has no calories and nutritional components. Apart from obesity, intake of excess of sugar can affect the functioning of the immune system, increase the risk of heart diseases, acne, diabetes, cancer, depression, fatigue, liver failure and increase cellular aging.

NEED OF REGULATING SUGAR IN CHILDREN

According to the World Health Organisation, there were 41 million obese infants and young children (0-5 years) in 2016. The need to regulate the intake of sugar in children in not just to maintain weight, but also to keep other diseases at bay. High rate of metabolism does not save your children from other health conditions that are caused by excess sugar. Diabetes, heart diseases, tooth decay, chromium deficiency are all becoming more and more prominent in children. This is the result of unregulated diet.

According to a study published in 2018 in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, almost 500,000 children aged under 15 years suffer from type 1 diabetes worldwide. This is indeed alarming. Chocolate, candies, sugar-sweetened beverages and soda pops are all major sources of sugar in children. Children have a high rate of metabolism to absorb essential nutrients, not sugar components. Without essential nutrients, children will become weak and fat.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT OBESITY

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If you see your kids fighting with weight issues, you must help them. Early diagnosis of obesity in children can save them from various health conditions in the future. It is important to tell them that they are neither helpless nor alone in their fight. Childhood obesity can take a toll on the mental health of the children leading to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. Here are some things you can do to help your child.

Plan a healthy diet for your child

Instead of developing the habit of consuming artificial sugar-coated foods like chocolate, candies and carbonated beverages, develop healthy eating habits in children. Consuming sugar is important for the body and you must not avoid it completely. Try obtaining the required sugar from healthier natural sources like fruits (bananas, cherries, mangos, pomegranates), yogurt, legumes and sugar cane. Sugar from natural sources comes with a variety of other essential nutrients, which helps in building immunity and strengthens other body functions.

Keep your child away from chewing gum

Most chewing gums contain high amounts of sugar. Make sure that your kid is not in the habit of chewing gum. And even if he/she is, then make sure that they consume sugar-free gums.

Regularly check the BMI of your kid

Your kid is not healthy, he is just fat. People often get taken in by the chubbiness of a healthy baby and a fat baby. Check his/her body mass index (BMI) to compare the weight he/she carries and the recommended weight. There is always a wiggle room while following the BMI, as your kid is growing at a rapid pace. So it is best to stay as close as possible to the given number. Contact your doctor if the weight of your kid is way off the charts. The obesity could be because of an underlying condition.

Inculcate the love of physical activity

Sitting at home and playing video games all day will not help your kid. Going out in nature and playing will help reduce the risk of obesity by increasing the metabolism rate of the child. Physical activity increases the blood flow in the body, which makes the body and immunity strong. Cut your kids' television time and make them join some productive physical activity.

Cook more at home

Hectic lifestyle of parents often reduces the cooking time at home. While eating out, you have no control over the freshness of ingredients or type of oil being used. The kids also get more opportunity to eat junk food. This increases the level of sugar in children. This will cause obesity at the older age.