Childhood Diet May Affect Adult Weight and Health

People with a weight problem may find the answer to their inability to keep off the fat by looking back into their childhood. A new study has indicated that the diet that is fed to children impacts their future health.

While we cannot go back to our childhood to correct the diets fed to us by well meaning parents, parents can use information in the study to protect the future health of their children.

Childhood nutrition has a direct impact upon adult health, according to new kinesiology research. Early diet may have a profound influence upon health conditions in adulthood, including cardio vascular disease, obesity and diabetes.

Research by Dr. Raylene Reimer, Faculty of Kinesiology researcher at University of Calgary, has been published in an international journal, Journal of Physiology (London). The new research indications that there is a direct connection between early childhood diet and adult propensity to put on weight

Reimer is a leader in a growing research field that explores the developmental origins of health and disease. Researchers in this field believe that pre-natal and early childhood environments have an influent on future risk of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardio vascular disease.

Dr. Reimer stated in a press release, "My research has shown that the food we eat changes how active certain genes in our body are - what we call genetic expression. In particular we believe that our diet has a direct influence on the genes that control how our bodies store and use nutrients. There's a growing body of work that indicates a relationship between our health as adults and our early diet, and even our mother's diet. This research shows for the first time that our early childhood diet may have a huge impact on our health as adults."

Reimer's study compared three groups of rats who were fed different diets as they were weaned. The rats were fed a high protein diet or a high fiber diet or a control diet.

When the rats reached adulthood their diets were switched to a a high fat, high sugar diet. The adult diet was designed to reflect the reality of the typical western diet.

Researcher were astonished at the results. The rats who had been weaned on the high protein diet packed on much more fat and body weight than the rats who had grown up on a high-fiber diet. The rats on the high fiber diet put on the least amount of weight of the three groups.

Dr. Reimer states that the study cleared showed that the early childhood diet may have a lifelong impact on the genes that control metabolism and risk of obesity and diseases in adulthood.

Resources

University of Calgary Early childhood may influence future health. EurekAlert.

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