Food Safety | Is it a good thing for children to be fat? These health risks should not be underestimated

Is it a good thing for children to be fat? These health risks should not be underestimated

Recently, a piece of news about a 9-year-old girl who gained more than 10 pounds during the summer vacation and was diagnosed with fatty liver became a hot topic on the Internet. During the summer vacation, 9-year-old girl Qiqi was sent to her hometown by her parents. During this period, no matter what Qiqi wanted to eat, her grandmother would satisfy her. As a result, Qiqi gained more than 10 pounds like a balloon. A check-up at the hospital showed that she had fatty liver. At the same time, the child's blood lipid and uric acid levels were also high. "White and fat" once became the standard for raising a child well, but few people know that obesity is a disease that will seriously affect the healthy growth of children.

Children who are chubby are usually praised, and their mothers are happy, and their grandmothers are even happier. "Children who are chubby are blessed," "Being able to eat is a blessing," "Children are growing up, it's okay to eat more"... Influenced by traditional concepts, there are more and more "little fat kids", and the health risks behind them should not be underestimated.

1. Increase the risk of children suffering from precocious puberty. Long-term intake of high-energy, high-fat, high-protein, and high-sugar foods can easily lead to obesity and overnutrition in children, promote the formation and secretion of sex hormones in the body, thereby accelerating the development of sexual organs, leading to precocious puberty, and even accelerating bone age growth.

2. It is easy for children to develop chronic diseases in adults at a young age. Obesity increases the risk of children suffering from insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, hyperuricemia and other diseases.

3. Seriously endanger children's physical and mental health. Obese children are prone to negative emotions such as inferiority complex, poor self-esteem, and dislike of interpersonal communication. Their execution, attention, motor skills, and visual spatial performance are affected to varying degrees.

Children are in the growth and development period, and parents should pay more attention to them. In addition to regular monitoring of children's growth and development, they also need to guide their children in their daily living habits.

First, a healthy diet. In terms of eating habits, we should pay attention to avoid excessive intake of high-calorie foods. Some children are born with a preference for oily and sweet foods. Therefore, parents have a greater responsibility to take the initiative to adopt a healthy lifestyle, guide their children to develop healthy eating habits, and abandon unhealthy eating preferences such as high oil, high salt, and high sugar.

Secondly, cultivate a good habit of daily exercise. Children should have more than 60 minutes of medium-to-high-intensity physical activity every day. Overweight and obese children should gradually extend the time of each exercise, increase the frequency and intensity of exercise within their ability and on the basis of normal exercise volume.

Ensure that your child has a good sleep. Go to bed no later than 10 o'clock every night, because lack of sleep is an important high-risk factor for childhood obesity and related metabolic diseases. Baseline sleep assessment of obese children is very important. If a child is found to have sleep disorders, intervention should be carried out first.

Expert: Gu Zhongyi, Director of Beijing Nutritionist Association and Beijing Nutrition Society