New research challenges link between childhood BMI and obesity risk
Your BMI at this age is likely linked to diabetes and heart disease
- New research suggests that a high body mass index (BMI) in young children may not necessarily indicate a lifelong risk of obesity.
- A study by the University of Queensland, utilising data from 6,291 children in the UK's Children of the 90s study, found that genetic factors influencing infant body size can differ from those affecting teenage body size.
- Experts indicate that genetic variation plays a role in how children's body weight changes, with early body size differences not always predicting lifelong obesity.
- The research highlights that BMI around the age of 10 and the overall growth rate from one to 18 years are more significant indicators for later health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Current data shows that 10.5 per cent of children in their first year of primary school in England were obese in 2024/25, representing the highest prevalence for this age group since records began, excluding the pandemic peak.
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