Children can inherit obesity from their parents: Study

Islamabad: According to a new study, 30 percent to 40 percent of the Body mass index (BMI) in children is inherited from parents. This means that if the parents are suffering from obesity issues then it is likely that the child will be inheriting it as well. In case of most obese children, this rate can be as high 55 p6ercent to 60 percent.

An experiment has been conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Sussex in which the weight and height ratios of almost 100,000 children and parents worldwide were studied. The findings showed that around 0.2 percent of BMI was constantly transmitted through intergeneration. Further research revealed that the transmission took place at about 20 percent from the mother and 20 percent from the father.

These results were quite consistent irrespective of the difference in origin, as well as economic development of the country. This research was an eye opener as it showed how obesity got transmitted over the generations both in developing and developed countries. It shows how overweight parents can lead to obesity in children, said the study published in the journal Economics and Human Biology.

The team consistently monitored the participants from all over the world. They found the parental effect to be the lowest for the slimmest children and highest for obese children. In case of the slimmest child, 10 percent of their BMI was inherited from the mother and another 10 percent from the father. However, for the obese child the rate of transmission was almost 30 percent, inherited from each of their parents.

The research concluded that children belonging to obese parents are more likely to become obese in their growing years. The effect is greater for the most obese children than in case of the slimmer one.