The World Health Organization (WHO) has long been warning that if current trends continue, the number of overweight infants and young children will increase to 70 million by 2025. In addition, if not remedied, infants and children Small obese people will remain obese during childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
Point out the WHO that childhood obesity is associated with a wide range of serious health complications and an increasing risk of getting diseases prematurely, including diabetes and heart disease. And, now, the study 'Association between birth characteristics, breastfeeding and obesity in 22 countries' reaffirms his recommendation to opt for exclusive breastfeeding from birth to at least six months of age to combat overweight: the risk can be reduced by up to 25 percent.
Spain, leading in obese children
According to this European study, which includes almost 30,000 babies monitored as part of the WHO initiative for the surveillance of childhood obesity (COSI), "The highest prevalence rates of obesity were observed in Spain (17.7%), Malta (17.2%) and Italy (16.8%)".
Our country is also in the lead in Europe, only surpassed by Malta, with a higher prevalence of obesity among children who have never been breastfed (21%).
In addition, the article published in the journal 'Obesity facts', found a great disparity in the prevalence of breastfeeding in different countries. While in Tajikistan 94.4% of the babies were breastfed with breast milk for six months or more, in France, Ireland, Malta and Spain, only one in four children was breastfed during this time.
In Babies and more The composition of breast milk at each stage of growth: this adapts to the needs of the baby Specifically in our country, 22% of babies never breastfed, 45% fed on breast milk for less than six months and only 21% exceeded that age.
But, Why is breastfeeding so important?
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life. From then on, babies should receive nutritionally adequate complementary foods with continuous breastfeeding until two years of age, or more.
Now This study has shown that breastfeeding can reduce the chances of a child becoming obese by up to 25%, since the risk was higher among children who were never breastfed or who were breastfed for a shorter period with exclusive breastfeeding.
In Babies and more Breastfeeding beyond six months: these are the short and long term benefits for the health of the baby and the motherFor all these reasons, the global objective is to increase the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months to at least 50% by 2025.
Dr. João Breda, lead author of the research and Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and who also directed the WHO Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, known as COSI , ensures that:
The WHO study has revealed an increased risk of obesity in babies born prematurely or overweight."The promotion of breastfeeding represents an opportunity to respond to the problem of childhood obesity in Europe. Existing national policies to promote breastfeeding, and how they develop, can lead a country to be more or less successful in the fight against obesity. "
400,000 European children are obese
It is another of the alarming figures obtained from a second WHO study: 'The prevalence of severe obesity in primary school children in 21 European countries', also published in the journal 'Obesity Facts'.
After analyzing 636,933 boys aged six to nine, it was found that the prevalence of severe obesity varies greatly between countries, with higher values in southern Europe and is generally higher among boys than among girls.
In Babies and more These are the five habits you must follow to prevent your children from suffering from obesityThe data from Greece, Italy and Spain that have the highest figures of severe obesity, above 4%, are striking. The researchers point out as one of the reasons the fact that there are fewer and fewer families following the Mediterranean diet.
Do you agree with these conclusions? Do you think we should recover the Mediterranean diet and promote breastfeeding beyond six months? At the moment it seems that the WHO points in that direction and must be taken seriously, given the serious problems that childhood obesity implies, such as heart disease or diabetes, among others.
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