Born Heavier, Not Mean Obese When Adults

News Health Articles - Born Heavier, Not Mean Obese When Adults. In recent decades, weight and average length of newborns has increased. Many relate to the risk of obesity later in life, but recent study refute these assumptions.

In a research published in The Journal of Pediatrics, revealed that the present is measured on average 0.45 kg heavier and 1.25 cm longer. The data are drawn based on data collected in 1929 until the 1970's.

"What assumed as a big baby in 1930 will not be considered a big baby now," said researcher Ellen Demerath, professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Division of Epidemiology and Community Health.

In addition, maternal weight during pregnancy also increased throughout the observation period. For this reason, many experts speculate that the increased size of the present infant and maternal obesity factors are interrelated and increased the risk of obesity in children in the future.

But speculation is refuted in an observation conducted on 620 infants in Ohio, the United States. The babies were measured length and weight at birth, and then observed in a sustainable and measured again at age 3 years.

Prof. Ellen Demerath, scientists from the University of Minnesota who conducted the study concluded there was no association between birth weight with risk of obesity later in life. Many factors affect the baby's weight at birth, including infant formula consumption by pregnant women

Demerath said the slow of growth rate challenging people who believe that big baby is to blame for the current obesity epidemic. However, as quoted by FoxNews, Wednesday(January 4, 2012), some experts warn that it is difficult to predict a person's growth at early age as overall.