Childhood obesity is a precursor to all sorts of terrible health risks that can last way into your middle years. Carrying all that extra weight during your first 20-25 years of your life may lead to one more serious problem -- a total hip replacement due to severe arthritis -- later on.
European researchers compared the health of some 1.2 million Norwegians screened for tuberculosis from 1963-75 to data on total hip replacement procedures performed between 1987-2003.
A patient's rising body mass index correlated to a greater risk of hip replacements or that being overweight or obese as much as tripled one's odds of such a procedure, and this was especially true among those who were overweight as young adults. In fact, obese women under age 25 increased their odds of hip replacement surgery by a factor of three in their later years.
The best things you can do if you're a parent who wants to help his or her child get a good healthy start:
Even if you're way beyond your 20s, it's never too late to make an significant impact on your health when you use superior tools like nutritional typing and exercise.
Arthritis and Rheumatism, Vol. 54, No. 3, March 2006: 802-807
Yahoo News April 12, 2006