A new study from the Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in England indicates that an obese child is most likely to have a parent of the same sex battling obesity as well.
The study that involved 226 families showed that obese fathers are six times as more likely to have a son that is also obese. The study also indicated that obese mothers are ten times more likely to have a daughter that is obese. However, there seemed to be no link in obesity to obese parents with children of the opposite sex.
More specifically, researchers found that 41% of young girls with obese mothers were also obese in comparison to 4% of obese girls with mothers of a normal weight. There was no difference in the proportion to the obese boys of overweight mothers.
Similarly, 18% of obese boys had obese fathers as well compared to 3% of obese boys that had fathers of an average weight. There was no difference in the percentage of obese girls of overweight fathers in comparison to fathers of a normal weight.
Popular previous belief is that being an obese child leads to an obese adult. Controversially, they found in the study that eight of ten obese adults were not obese as children. The study also indicates thatobese children don’t cause obese adults, but that obese adults (of same sex parents) cause or leads to obese children. The study also indicates that it highly improbable that the findings are some sort of genetic link. In fact, researchers believe that it’s some sort of behavioral copying or possibly even a behavioral sympathy when a child has a same sex parent that is obese.
These findings indicate that we should be focusing more on the behavior and patterns of the parents rather than the eating habits and behaviors of the children. The results of this study are encouraging people to look in a new direction and perhaps tackle the problem of obesity in children from a different angle.
Source: Google Health News
Monday, July 13, 2009
Obese Kids May Have Obese Same Sex Parent
A new study from the Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in England indicates that an obese child is most likely to have a parent of the same sex battling obesity as well.
The study that involved 226 families showed that obese fathers are six times as more likely to have a son that is also obese. The study also indicated that obese mothers are ten times more likely to have a daughter that is obese. However, there seemed to be no link in obesity to obese parents with children of the opposite sex.
More specifically, researchers found that 41% of young girls with obese mothers were also obese in comparison to 4% of obese girls with mothers of a normal weight. There was no difference in the proportion to the obese boys of overweight mothers.
Similarly, 18% of obese boys had obese fathers as well compared to 3% of obese boys that had fathers of an average weight. There was no difference in the percentage of obese girls of overweight fathers in comparison to fathers of a normal weight.
Popular previous belief is that being an obese child leads to an obese adult. Controversially, they found in the study that eight of ten obese adults were not obese as children. The study also indicates thatobese children don’t cause obese adults, but that obese adults (of same sex parents) cause or leads to obese children. The study also indicates that it highly improbable that the findings are some sort of genetic link. In fact, researchers believe that it’s some sort of behavioral copying or possibly even a behavioral sympathy when a child has a same sex parent that is obese.
These findings indicate that we should be focusing more on the behavior and patterns of the parents rather than the eating habits and behaviors of the children. The results of this study are encouraging people to look in a new direction and perhaps tackle the problem of obesity in children from a different angle.
Source: Google Health News
