Obesity causes diabetes, heart disease in children — Physician

Dr. Osas Ulikinfo, an Abuja-based pediatrician, said obesity was a major cause of diabetes and coronary heart disease in children.
Ulikinfo disclosed this in an interview with the New Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, overweight and obesity in childhood are known to have significant impact on both physical and psychological health of children.
Ulikinfo said that overweight children were likely to stay obesed into adulthood and more likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease at young age.
He noted that type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease most times start from childhood and blamed obesity as major cause.
He explained that childhood obesity was one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century that needed urgent help.
The pediatrician said obesity was the result of imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, as well as genetics.
He attributed high basal metabolic rate as another possible factor to the development of obesity in children.
Basal metabolic rate is where the body uses energy while at rest to keep the vital functions of the body such as breathing and keeping warm.
He said increased fast foods consumption, sugary beverages, snacks such as chips, baked foods, among others, had been linked with obesity.
Ulinkinfo also blamed the consumption of large portion of food, sedentary lifestyle, environmental factors, socio-cultural factors and psychological factors, as well as family factors as causative factors of obesity.
The physician mentioned that repeated exposure to healthy foods to children was key in developing preferences and dislike in some foods which would help to prevent obesity.
He also encouraged parental feeding style, the habit of family eating together in order to curb obesity in children.