Tag: Health

The obesity rate is dropping among US preschoolers, study suggests

Preschoolers, who are receiving government food aid, are reaching healthier body mass index and contributing to a steady decline in obesityrates, recent findings suggest.

As part of a recent U.S. study, the researchers noted that according to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates dropped to about 14 per cent in 2016 (down from 16 per cent in 2010).

The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reported. The findings of the study come as a welcome result for the health experts, following an upward trend of obesity in young children during 2000 and 2010.

According to the team of researchers, all racial and ethnic groups recorded a noteworthy decline in obesity. “It gives us more hope that this is a real change,” said Heidi Blanck, head of the obesity prevention division at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

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Planning a baby? Here’s why you should watch your weight

Excess weight and obesityin pre-pregnancy period bring changes in breast milk that can impact infant growth, a study claims.

The study was published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE’.

“The importance of this study is that it demonstrates that breast milk contents can vary depending on mother’s weight status at the time of conception and further impact the growth and development of breastfeeding infants,” said Henry Nuss, lead author of the study.

“Childhood obesity rates in the United States have increased significantly in recent decades,” noted Melinda Sothern, professor of Behavioral & Community Health Sciences at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

“Although many studies have shown that breastfeeding may be protective against excessive weight gain during early life, we do not fully understand why,” Sothern added.

Breast milk contains pro-inflammatory proteins such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and interleukin-six (IL-6), as well as hormones like insulin and leptin, and anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 (DHA) and omega-6 (EPA). If and how their interaction may influence infant growth has been unknown.

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