According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, children who are already obese between the ages of 6 and 9 years are 19 times more likely to be obese when they grow up And if they are still obese at 10 to 13 years, they are 44 times more likely to develop into corpulent adults!

why obesity in kids is serious

Everyone knows that fat kids can experience social and psychological problems. But few people realise that many such children already have several risk factors for heart disease (think high cholesterol and high blood pressure) and are heading for an early grave.

One US study of more than 100,000 women discovered that those who were overweight or obese at age 18 were 66 per cent more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, suicide and other causes by the age of 30 than women of normal weight. If the women were too fat during adolescence, their risk of dying by middle age was also increased threefold.

Researchers now believe that the presence of excess body fat in adolescence may have specific and lasting effects on the metabolic or cardiovascular systems that contribute to premature death.

five ways you can help