Other than junk food, here's another key factor in childhood obesity
Yes, high calorie and junk food are among the leading causes of obesity,
but a new study has presented yet another key reason behind obesity in
children.
Gut bacteria and its interactions with immune cells
and metabolic organs, including fat tissue is found to play a key role
in childhood obesity, according to a new study.
Not
only the gut, but the mother's health, diet, exercise level, antibiotic
use, among others can also pose as a risk factor in a child getting
obese.
The medical community used to think that
obesity was a result of consuming too many calories. However, a series
of studies over the past decade has confirmed that the microbes living
in our gut are not only associated with obesity but also are one of the
causes, said the lead author.
Obesity is
increasing at a 2.3 % rate each year among school-aged children, which
is unacceptably high and indicated worrisome prospects, for the next
generation's health, the study stated.
Researchers,
in this study, reviewed existing studies ( animal and human) on how the
interaction between gut microbiome and immune cells can be passed from
mother to baby as early as gestation and can contribute to childhood
obesity.
The review also described how a
mother's health, diet, exercise level, antibiotic use, birth method (
natural or cesarean) and feeding method ( formula or breast milk) can
affect the risk of obesity in her children.
This
compilation of current research should be very useful for doctors,
nutritionists and dietitians to discus with their patients because so
many of these factors can be changed if people have enough good
information, he said.
This better understanding
of the role of the gut microbiome and obesity in both mothers and their
children can help scientists design more successful preventive and
therapeutic strategies to check the rise of obesity in children, the
researchers opined.
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