Children as young as two need to be checked for signs of obesity to prevent future health problems, say Government advisers.

Two-year-olds should be checked for obesity, say health experts
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"Health officials have asked experts to develop suitable tests for children as young as two determine if they are becoming overweight.

Advisers say that it is often too late by primary school to start addressing bad habits.

At a recent seminar hosted by the Westminster Health Forum, Dr Will Cavendish, from the Department of Health said: "The evidence is pretty horrible that one in four children are overweight or obese at reception and one in three at year six.

"Of course, we know that child obesity doesn't suddenly pop up at age four, five. We also know that we need to act on the early years, and indeed the pre-birth, family environment in order to get at this really effectively.""

All that is necessary, and, indeed, vital, is to give the facts about what causes obesity in children.

When children become fat it is essentially because they are eating salty food. Children are especially vulnerable to salt because of their small size and small blood volume, and because their blood vessels are weaker than those of adults. Salt, and the water it attracts to it, can more easily distend weak blood vessels than fully mature ones. The resulting increase in blood volume and other fluid retention results in weight gain, as well as higher blood pressure and many other undesirable consequences. The smaller the child, the less salt they should have - and a baby, of course, should have no salt at all. - Babies can die if they are fed salty food.

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.