Baby obesity: Rapid infant weight gain linked to childhood obesity

by Deborah L. Shelton Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Rapid weight gain during the first six months of life appears to increase the chances that a child will be obese by age 3, according to a new study in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.The study found that sudden weight gain in early infancy was more important than how much a baby weighed at birth, the weight of the infant's parents, or the number of pounds put on by the mother during pregnancy."The perception has been that a chubby baby and a baby that grows fast early in life is healthier and all the baby fat will disappear," said the paper's lead author, Dr. Elsie Taveras, an assistant professor in Harvard Medical School's ambulatory care and prevention department. "But [that] is not the case."Taveras was quick to point out, however, that parents should not put their chunky babies on diets.
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