Giving pregnant women and new mothers the plain facts about the health risks of drinking sugary beverages may help decrease childhood obesity, finds a new study.
Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity � Vigorous Physical Activity
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
‘Regular consumption of sugary drinks, either by the mother during pregnancy or by the child before age 2, may raise a child's risk of obesity later in childhood.’
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Obesity affects approximately 18 percent of children in the U.S. Recent studies show that obesity is growing fastest among young children between the ages of 2 to 5 years.Read More..
"Emerging evidence suggests that regular consumption of sugary beverages, either by the mother during pregnancy or by the child before age 2, may increase a child's risk of obesity later in childhood," says the study's lead author Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
A recent study found that sugary drinks may be marketed more heavily toward low-income children and teens.
Mother�s Healthy Lifestyle Habits Can Reduce Childhood Obesity Risk
Healthy lifestyle practices for mothers such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy body weight, drinking moderate levels of alcohol and not smoking may reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
Healthy lifestyle practices for mothers such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy body weight, drinking moderate levels of alcohol and not smoking may reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
In a previous study, Woo Baidal and her team found that nearly 90 percent of parents and 66 percent of infants between one and two years old who were enrolled in a local Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, a nutritional supplementation program for low-income families, regularly consumed sweetened beverages. Families with more negative attitudes toward sugary beverages were less likely to drink them or give them to their infants.
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Childhood Obesity can be Corrected in the Womb Itself
Childhood obesity can be combated by preventing the development of 'fatty liver' in fetus, finds a new study.
Childhood obesity can be combated by preventing the development of 'fatty liver' in fetus, finds a new study.
Clearing Up Confusion about "Healthy" Drinks
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Vitamin D Deficiency During Pregnancy May Up Childhood Obesity
Low vitamin D levels during first trimester of pregnancy may up childhood obesity. Therefore, sufficient amounts of vitamin D in required during early pregnancy.
Low vitamin D levels during first trimester of pregnancy may up childhood obesity. Therefore, sufficient amounts of vitamin D in required during early pregnancy.
Many families were confused about which beverages are healthy, the researchers found and were surprised to learn that many juices and flavored milk contain large amounts of sugar.
Families were more receptive toward materials especially images and graphic warning labels explaining the sugar content of different beverages and the health risks they pose for children. They indicated the need to include information about culturally relevant drinks and other alternatives to plain water. In contrast, families were less responsive toward materials that advised parents what to consume without giving them facts so they could make their own informed decisions.
"Parents were unreceptive to finger-wagging messages about what they should buy or drink, but most welcomed information that would help them make healthy choices for themselves and their families," Woo Baidal says.
"Although our study was small, our findings could inform broader strategies to counter the mixed messages that many low-income families get about what's healthy and what's not."
What's Next
The researchers plan to conduct a larger, randomized study to learn how different ways of presenting information about the health risks of sugary drinks affect families' purchasing habits and consumption.
Source-Eurekalert
