Obesity in a child. What to do?

Unfortunately, obesity in a child is a fairly common problem today. After all, often worried parents turn for help to a doctor because of excess weight. This is a very serious condition, such children need constant care, attention and qualified help. After all, obesity often leads to a mass of complications, including diabetes.

Obesity in the child and the reasons for its development

Problems with obesity can appear for many reasons. Some people believe that the only factor that provokes obesity is malnutrition and sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, an unbalanced diet with a predominance of simple carbohydrates and fats can lead to a set of excess weight. But, unfortunately, the reasons are not always so simple and obvious.

• Obesity in a child is often the result of hormonal disorders. Typically, this problem occurs during adolescence. This may be the result of inadequate pituitary activity or thyroid disease. In such cases, the quantity and quality of food products is only of secondary importance - sick children gain weight quickly, even adhering to the right diet.
• Obesity in a child can also be associated with severe stress, emotional trauma, etc.
• It is not necessary to exclude and heredity, because quite often this or that metabolic disorder is associated with various changes at the genetic level. In addition, some genetic diseases, such as Down's syndrome, are accompanied by excess weight.

Obesity in children: photos and main symptoms

About obesity is appropriate to speak in those cases if the body weight exceeds the average statistical indicators by at least 30%. In any case, it is very important to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. As a rule, obesity in a child is accompanied by sluggishness, lack of interest in active games or sports, as well as increased appetite. But there are other signs that you should pay attention to. For example, symptoms such as dry skin, weakness and fatigue, poor school performance, decreased appetite and the appearance of bags under the eyes, along with overweight may indicate the presence of hypothyroidism. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will need all the data on the child's health, as well as the results of the tests.

Obesity: treatment

Therapy in such cases directly depends on the cause of the pathology. If obesity in a child is the result of malnutrition and bad habits, then treatment should begin with the right diet and physical activity. In this case, experts recommend to abandon easily digestible carbohydrates (sweets, chocolate, sugar), giving preference to protein products, as well as fresh fruit and vegetable dishes. If excess weight is associated with diseases of the endocrine system, then along with proper nutrition it is advisable to use hormone therapy. The prognosis with time of the begun therapy is quite favorable - the majority of children in due course return to normal weight.