Obesity in toddlers, dangers and how to overcome it

Who, the hell, isn't nervous about seeing a fat child? For some people, chubby toddlers do look cute and attractive. Unfortunately, the body of a child who is fat over time can lead to obesity and cause health problems for your little one to grow up. So, what is the danger of obesity in children under five? How do you prevent obesity in toddlers? Check out the answer in the following review.

What are the dangers of obesity in toddlers?

To determine whether a child is obese or not, parents do not only measure the child's weight and height, but also their body mass index or BMI. Quoting from WebMD, this is a measure of body fat based on a person's weight and height.

Kristi King, Clinical Dietitian Hospital Children, Texas said that BMI is not only for adults. Children also need to calculate BMI because it can be a very accurate measurement.

IDAI explains on its official website that children are said to be obese when they are underweight more than +3 SD growth chart.

Meanwhile for children overweightwhen body weight is more than +2 SD the WHO-made growth chart.

The following are the dangers of obesity in toddlers that need to be considered by parents:

1. Heart disease

Obesity in children under five can be characterized by the accumulation of fatty tissue in all or several parts of the body. Without realizing it, obesity increases a child's risk of developing heart disease later. How can?

You see, obese children need more blood. Automatically, the workload of the heart will be much harder to pump blood.

This condition will eventually make the heart enlarge so that it can circulate a lot of blood supply throughout the body.

This increase in blood flow can also cause high blood pressure in children as an early cause of heart disease.

2. Diabetes mellitus type 2

Children under five who are obese have a higher risk of experiencing increased blood sugar levels.

The reason is, the child's body will find it difficult to digest glucose intake optimally. As a result, glucose levels in the blood will increase and develop into diabetes in type 2 children as adults.

3. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder, including in children, which occurs when breathing suddenly stops while sleeping. Obese people, including toddlers and children, are prone to experience sleep apnea.

This is because of the accumulation of body fat that blocks the airways, preventing breathing. Finally, your little one's sleep quality deteriorates and it is easy to feel tired the next day.

4. Asthma

Based on research published in the Asthma Research and Practice Journal, about 38 percent of obese people also have asthma symptoms, reported by Healthline.

One of the reasons is because the lungs are surrounded by excess fat tissue which makes them more sensitive to air from outside.

Over time, this condition results in inflammation of the respiratory system which then causes asthma.

5. Hormonal problems

The more the child gains weight, the more difficult it will be to regulate hormone production in the body. The amount of hormone produced is abnormal.

Not good, this can actually lead to various health problems related to hormones later in life, including obesity in toddlers.

Take for example, in girls hormonal problems can cause menstrual irregularities. Meanwhile, in boys it can result in gynecomastia, which is abnormal breast growth.

In addition, hormones also interfere with puberty, which can come earlier. This symptom is more experienced by women because it is characterized by early menstruation.

Early menstruation is a sign of hormonal imbalance that can cause health problems for women as adults.

6. Problems with muscles and bones

Weight that exceeds the normal limit will put a big burden on the muscles and bones because they have to work extra to support body weight.

That is why many toddlers and adolescents who are obese often complain of pain in the bones and muscles, compared to their peers who are of normal weight.

7. Heart problems

Obesity in toddlers can make children have hepatic steatosis. This is a condition known as fatty liver fatty liver disease, be the cause of accumulation of fat in the body and in the blood vessels.

Although it doesn't cause serious symptoms at a young age, it can cause liver damage.

8. Psychological disorders

Psychological disorders from obese children are the result of social stigma and discrimination, including:

Minder

This is a tendency to feel inferior and even lose self-confidence as a result body image which are owned.

Obesity in toddlers can cause insecurity and need to be trained in self-confidence. This is because the child feels his body is different from the others.

Behavioral problems and learning disorders

Children overweight tend to have the ability to interact and experience anxiety and tend to withdraw in social settings, such as the school environment. This can have an impact on academic ability at school which is an effect of obesity in toddlers.

Depression

This condition is caused by the accumulation of psychological problems triggered by social interactions. Not only withdrawing, children who are depressed will lose their enthusiasm for their activities. The problem of depression in children is as serious as depression in adults.

9. Health complications

In general, health complications due to obesity in children are closely related to the development of degenerative diseases, including:

Symptoms of prediabetes

This condition causes the child's body to not digest glucose optimally and increases the glucose level in the blood. If this condition continues, at the time of adolescence the child can suffer from diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of symptoms of the development of degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, high levels of "bad" cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoprotein) and low "good" or HDL cholesterol (high density lipoprotein) and accumulation of fat around the child's stomach.

10. Musculoskeletal growth disorders

Excess weight will interfere with the growth of bones, joints and muscles in children.

During childhood, bones and joints are experiencing growth so that they do not yet have optimal shape and strength.

If a child is overweight it will damage the area of ​​bone growth and can injure the bones.

Here are some bone health problems that are at risk for children with obesity:

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE)

It is a condition of the thighbone (femur) that retracts backwards due to the area where the bone growth cannot withstand weight. In serious cases, the affected leg will not be able to bear any weight.

Blount's disease

This disorder is characterized by crooked legs due to hormonal changes and too much pressure on the legs that are experiencing growth so that they become disabled.

Fracture

Children who are obese are at risk for fractures due to excess body weight and bones that are not too strong due to infrequent physical activity.

Flat feet

Is a term to describe the condition of the feet that tire easily so they don't walk long distances.

Coordination disturbances

Children who are obese tend to have difficulty moving their limbs and have poor balance abilities such as being unable to jump and stand on one leg.

11. Problems in social interaction

Obese children tend to be stigmatized and less accepted in the social environment at their age. They also tend to experience negative views, discrimination, and behavior bully by his friends because of their physical condition.

Obese children also tend to be marginalized in games that require physical strength. This is because they tend to move slowly compared to other children their age.

Bad social conditions like this also have the potential to encourage them to withdraw from the environment and prefer to stay at home.

Fewer friends can lead to less activity outside the home and more time alone. This can reduce their time for physical activity.

How to deal with obesity in toddlers

Apart from genetic factors from the family, obesity that occurs in your little one can be based on various other reasons.

Try to re-evaluate, is the daily diet right? Or is he actively moving, whether it's playing, playing sports, or other normal activities?

The combination of all these factors that are less than optimal can be the main cause of obesity in your children and babies. The reason is obesity occurs when the energy consumed is far more than the energy released by the body.

Well, what you have to think about next is how to prevent your little one from obesity.

Consuming low sugar milk to reduce obesity in toddlers

To prevent obesity in toddlers and children, you can limit the provision of sugar in your little one's daily food and drinks. One of them is by providing the right milk, which is low in sugar.

Choose low-sugar milk that still has the nutritional content of milk, especially those rich in omega 3 and 6 acids, to support brain development and intelligence of your little one.

By choosing milk that is low in sugar but still high in nutrients, all nutritional needs of children will be met, including for brain development. In addition, the risk of obesity due to excessive sugar intake can be avoided.

Reducing daily sugar intake to reduce obesity in toddlers

In addition, it doesn't hurt to limit your child's daily sugar intake little by little. Because not only fat plays a role in increasing body weight, sugar too. Replace sweet children's snacks with fruit.

This is because excess sugar intake obtained from food and drinks will be stored by the body in the form of fat.

Finally, it can cause obesity in children and obesity. Give your little one a food source with balanced nutrition that is dense in carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Doing sports together reduces the risk of obesity in toddlers

Physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity in toddlers. Exercise with children does not only need to be done by the little one, but also the parents.

WebMD explains that physical activity makes children move actively and be healthier. Of course, this habit can reduce the risk of obesity in your little one.

Activities that can be done together are jogging, walking leisurely, cycling, or swimming. Doing outdoor activities with children not only prevents obesity in toddlers, but also gets closer to your little one.

Actually it's not difficult, you can start slowly from the light things of the day. Of course, within healthy limits.

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