Researchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne used detailed information collected on 412 people from birth until the age of 50 to establish whether being overweight in childhood increases adult obesity and risk of disease.
They found that, although overweight teenagers were more likely to become fat adults, most fat adults were not overweight as children and those thin in childhood were not protected from obesity as adults. In fact, those thinnest in childhood who went on to be fat adults experienced the most adverse consequences.
Current concerns about rising rates of overweight in children hinge on the assumption that fat children are more likely to become fat adults. "Our data suggest a much less deterministic situation," say the authors. As such, large-scale measures to reduce body mass index in childhood may not benefit adult health, they conclude.
Implications of childhood obesity for adult health: findings from thousand families cohort study BMJ Volume 323, pp 1280-4