41 Million Children under age of five are obese: Dr. Behal

Ludhiana, May 29, 2016: Obesity has become a colossal epidemic causing serious public health concern and contributes to 2.6 million deaths worldwide every year

According to Dr Nitin Behal – Head Gastro Department, Fortis hospital Ludhiana -The global level of childhood obesity is increasing at a startling rate. There are an estimated 41 million children under the age of five that are obese, with this figure expected to almost double by 2025 if trends continue. Alarming research highlights that one in every five children aged 6-9 years old is either overweight or obese in high socioeconomic strata of society in India.

Healthy nutrition in first 1000 days of life of child is the stressed need for society. Obesity starts from pregnancy time when child is not born. Pregnant women consuming excess amount of sugar and fat are more likely to have overweight children. A good start to healthy life is for providing babies with breast feed; is the best thing, which protects from obesity. Babies fed on high protein formula milk are more likely to have childhood obesity and increased risk for adult obesity too. Childhood obesity is rising at alarming rates and increasing by almost 40 % in last 25 years. More worrying is that it passes from one generation to next generation through our DNA creating major health problem. So healthy nutrition in first 1000 days of life – including breast milk and diet low in sugar will protect children and future generations from health problems.

With growing evidence of the link between early nutrition and obesity, as well as digestive health in general, we must prioritize our resources on prevention strategies, educating members of the public on the importance of healthy nutrition from a young age.