Why Are Kids Overweight?

While it is true that glandular, metabolic and genetic issues may contribute to a certain degree of childhood obesity, the sad truth is that there are many factors leading to obesity in children which can be controlled. Many of these factors are centered around processed foods and decreased physical activity.

Food Additives

• Many fruit juices today are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has recently been found by a Princeton study to cause obesity. It is true that HFCS has the same calories as cane sugar, but the Princeton study showed that rats given diets with the same number of calories gained more weight when those calories came from HFCS. Similarly, lab animals given food laced with monosodium glutamate (MSG) also gained weight very quickly. Currently, very few processed foods do not contain HFCS or MSG--though MSG can be harder to detect because there are around 40 different names it can go by.

Decreased Activity

• University of Michigan points out that children between ages 2 and 5 are watching an average of 32 hours of television a week, which is more than four hours a day. Television time decreases the amount of time spent in more physical activities. Decreased physical activity increases a child's risk of obesity.

Obesogens

• From pollutants that sneak into the food chain, to plants that mimic hormones, scientists worldwide have been exploring obesogens--chemicals that can contribute to childhood obesity by either signaling a developing child to create more fat cells, or signaling their bodies to store more of their calories as fat. Some of these are industrial chemicals and plastics like bisphenol A (BPA), and some may be as seemingly innocent as soy. Research on obesogens is still ongoing, but so far the indications of research show that obesogens have a greater impact on babies and developing children than on adults.