Is obesity dangerous for children?

I believe everyone should be very familiar with childhood obesity. Many parents do not pay much attention to children who are too obese. In fact, if children are too obese, they are likely to develop some diseases. Obesity is also very harmful to children's bodies. Parents have to pay attention to it. So, what are the dangers of children being too obese? [Obesity leads to hyperlipidemia]:

The concentration of free fat in blood lipids increases, and total lipid components such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood lipids generally increase. Disorders in blood lipid metabolism will eventually lead to atherosclerotic diseases.

Obesity leads to coronary heart disease:

① Mainly due to excessive increase in fat, which causes increased heart load or increased blood pressure.

② Excessive energy intake by the human body causes coronary artery sclerosis.

③The reduced activity of obese people leads to weakened and insufficient coronary collateral circulation.

④Fat is deposited in the pericardium, affecting the normal beating of the heart. Eventually it causes myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, and in severe cases, sudden death. After 13 years of research, Smith from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden proved that obese people have 3-4 times the risk of coronary heart disease than normal people.

[Obesity leads to other heart diseases]:

Researchers in Boston, USA, conducted a survey of 116,000 people of all ages and found that women between 30 and 50 years old have three times the risk of heart disease than normal people, and women weighing 68 to 78 kilograms have a disease rate that is 1.8 times that of normal people.

Obesity causes liver fat:

The liver is an important organ for material metabolism in the human body. The fat absorbed from the intestines is broken down and transformed in the liver and then transported to tissues for storage. When a person is hungry, the stored fat is transported to the liver or other tissues for decomposition and utilization. Obese patients have been consuming much more than the body needs for a long time, and the liver fat content is too much, which exceeds the liver's load capacity. The decomposition and utilization of fat in the liver is impaired, causing fat to accumulate in liver cells and form fatty liver. Obese people all have fatty liver to varying degrees, even children.

Treating childhood obesity

1. Restrict your diet. Dietary restrictions should not only achieve the goal of weight loss, but also ensure the normal growth and development of children. Therefore, it is not advisable to act too hastily at the beginning and cause a sudden weight loss. It is only required to control weight gain and reduce the weight to 10% of the average standard weight calculated for the height. Then there is no need for strict dietary restrictions.

Severely obese children can reduce their calorie intake by 30% or more based on their ideal body weight. Their diet should be high in protein, low in carbohydrates and low in fat, and animal fat should not exceed 1/3 of the total fat. And provide the normal required amounts of vitamins and minerals. To satisfy children's appetite and eliminate hunger, they can eat more low-calorie and large-volume foods such as vegetables, fruits, etc. It is advisable to limit the intake of snacks, sweets and high-calorie foods such as chocolate.

2. Increase exercise. Obese children should exercise every day and develop a habit. You can start with a small amount of exercise, and then gradually increase the amount and duration of exercise. Avoid strenuous exercise as it may increase your appetite.

3. Behavioral therapy. Teach children and their parents behavior management methods. Older children should learn to monitor themselves, record their daily weight, activities, food intake, environmental factors, etc., and make regular summaries. Parents help their children evaluate the treatment implementation and establish good eating and behavioral habits.

The above are some of the harms that being too obese can cause to children introduced by experts. I believe that now everyone should have some understanding and knowledge about the harms of being too obese in children. I hope that many parents, for the sake of their children’s health, must pay attention to childhood obesity, control their children’s diet, and strengthen their children’s physical exercise.