With the change of modern lifestyles, the problem of childhood obesity is becoming more and more serious. Obesity not only affects a child's appearance, but more importantly, it can have long-term adverse effects on a child's health. Here are the five main dangers of child obesity:
1. Cardiovascular system: obesity increases the viscosity of children's whole blood, which increases the potential risk for the cardiovascular system. Blood concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL, and apolipoprotein are significantly elevated, further exacerbating cardiovascular health problems. Obesity results in left ventricular ejection time and stroke volume significantly higher than in normal-weight children, with a significant increase in blood pressure.
2. Endocrine system: The levels of growth hormone and lactation hormone in obese children are generally low, which may affect the normal growth and development process. Obesity results in elevated triiodothyronine levels, suggesting that obesity may be associated with abnormal thyroid function. Sexual and hormone levels decrease in boys, while girls exhibit hypermetabolism of estrogen, which can lead to the development of hyperestrogenemia.
3. Respiratory system: The lung capacity and ventilation per minute of obese children are significantly lower than those of normal children. This phenomenon shows the mixed disorder of lung function that obesity can cause.
4. Abnormal growth and development: Obese children may consume too much high-sugar and high-fat foods due to unreasonable diet, resulting in sexual and precocious puberty. Precocious puberty accelerates skeletal development, making the child's adult height lower than that of normal-weight children of the same age.
5. Mental health problems: may be ridiculed and discriminated against because of body problems, leading to low self-esteem, depression and other psychological problems. These problems can further affect your child's social and learning abilities, creating a vicious cycle.
Liu Yan, attending physician, Department of Pediatrics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, specializes in childhood short stature, precocious puberty, body fat, abnormal neurodevelopment, abnormal organ development, weakness of the spleen and stomach, internal heat accumulation of food, adenoid hypertrophy, Tourette's syndrome, ADHD, recurrent respiratory tract infections, pediatric pneumonia, chronic cough, etc.
Therefore, parents and society should pay attention to the problem of childhood obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight through reasonable diet and exercise habits.