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Dr. Kim Mulvihill reporting New research shows the obesity epidemic has spared no one. Today's babies are born fatter.
An alarming new study shows a big baby isn't necessarily a healthy baby.
"He is a chuck.. He is heavy."
How about sixteen and a half pounds. Tipping the scale with big baby is not as rare as you might think. The trend is frightening.
Kelly Brownell, Ph.D., Obesity Expert: "This is the first time in history where our health experts are asking whether our children will lead shorter lives than their parents do."
Harvard researchers studied more than 120,000 very young children over twenty years. They found the number of overweight children, from newborns to just under age six of age, jumped 59 percent. The number of overweight newborns increased a whopping 74 percent.
Jo Ann Hattner, Registered Dietician: "It is not a surprise."
Jo Ann Hattner is a registered dietitian in San Francisco.
Jo Ann Hattner, Registered Dietician: "As we have increased adult obesity.. We've increased adolescent obesity. Now we're down to the children. It's not surprising that it's in the very young child.. Even the newborn."
Those extra pounds early in life mean extra risk later on. Rapid weight gain during infancy, even during the first few weeks of life, can lead to insulin resistance, adult obesity and high blood pressure one to two decades later.
That's not the only cost.
William Dietz, M.D., Centers for Disease Control: "About 117 billion dollars a year is spent on medical care related to obesity."
Hattner says the best way to prevent giving birth to an at risk baby is to make changes before you even conceive.
Jo Ann Hattner, Registered Dietician: "One of the key factors in looking at a child's weight is the mother's weight. So the message is if you are planning to get pregnant or to conceive later.. Let's get your weight down to norm with a normal weight gain during pregnancy.. That's the best thing you can do for your unborn child."
Harvard researchers also found a jump in the numbers of young children and newborns who were not yet overweight, but were at risk for becoming so.
To have a healthy baby, don't smoke during pregnancy. While that may actually lead to small babies, those babies are more likely to become overweight children. Don't gain excessive weight during pregnancy during your pregnancy. You want to prevent gestational diabetes. And breastfeed. Bread-fed babies are less likely to become overweight babies.
