Preventing Infant Obesity - It's Never too Soon to Start

Preventing Infant Obesity - It’s Never too Soon to Start

Obesity in early childhood tracks to later childhood, with associated risks for adverse outcomes such as heart disease evident as early as age 3. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10.4% of US children aged 2-5 years are obese (BMI for age ≥ 95th percentile). Remarkably, the rate for infants under age 2 is estimated to be even higher at 12.5%. Although an Expert Committee recently declined to recommend energy restriction as a means to reduce weight in infants, it is nevertheless true that overweight status in infancy carries its own co-morbidities.