Rapid Weight Gain In Children

Childhood obesity is one of the most frequently addressed health issues today. Between 1970 and 2000, the number of overweight children in the United States doubled to the resulting ratio of one in five children being overweight. The heaviest children also continue to get weightier. In rare cases, medical causes such as thyroid disorders can lead to weight gain in children, but these are the exception to the rule. Research into how and why kids are weighing in so heavily is ongoing.

Potential

A 2009 study indicates that newborns who experience rapid weight gain during their first six months might have a higher risk of childhood obesity, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Massachusetts reports. However, most obesity-management guidelines recommend that assessment of children for obesity risk as well as treatment start after age 2. The study raises more questions than answers as to why rapid infant weight gain brings obesity on later in childhood, notes study author Dr. Elsie M. Taveras, who calls for more research to explain the relationship.

Considerations

Children who don't learn to self-regulate their impulses at an early age, between 3 and 5, are more likely to experience excessive weight gain during early adolescence, reveals a study published in the "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine." Kids who had the toughest time controlling impulses at the 3- and 5-year-old checkpoints had the most rapid weight gains and the highest body mass indexes during other age checkpoints along the nine-year study of 1,061 children. The study was part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.

Prevention/Solution

Children who experience rapid weight gain that does not have a specific medical cause benefit best by speaking with an expert such as a nutritionist who is not emotionally involved, Marguerite Kelly advises in The Washington Post. The expert can explain consequences of health and self-image. For example, a girl who becomes overweight at this time of life is more likely to think herself fat during the rest of her life, no matter how thin she becomes, Kelly says. Children who gain weight rapidly also need support at home to counter the issue, such as ridding the house of high-calorie, low-nutrient processed foods and high-fat foods. Kelly advises giving two nutritional facts a day at most and not nagging or preaching to overweight kids.

Warning

Certain drugs can cause children to gain weight quickly--to the tune of a pound to a pound and a half per week--and to suffer metabolic changes that can lead to medical problems, reports a 2009 study published in "Journal of the American Medical Association." The drugs are in the class called atypical antipsychotics, which regulate brain receptors that interact with dopamine and serotonin, mood altering hormones in the body. Such drugs are approved for use in treating mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but "off-label" prescriptions for conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder make up some 70 percent of atypical antipsychotic use in children, The New York Times reports. Drugs studied include Zyprexa, Abilify, Seroquel and Risperdal.

Effects

Obese children often become obese adults. About one-third of American adults are obese, the National Institutes of Health report. Obese people are up to 50 percent more likely to die of all causes, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center explains. In 2000, obesity cost the U.S. health system $117 billion. Children who are obese are subject to health problems that used to be experienced mainly by adults, including diabetes and hypertension; they also may experience early puberty and orthopedic problems, according to the Obesity Society.