A RECENT STUDY from Vellore suggests that many children are now facing both undernutrition and obesity before they reach their teenage years. Those children who are growing up in a low-income community in Vellore are now facing two different forms of malnutrition at the same time. The double burden of malnutrition among children, as defined by the World Health Organization. This situation basically refers to the coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight, obesity, or diet-related diseases. The study was led by Professor Beena Koshy (CMC Vellore) and Dr. Birsen Yilmaz (ARUMDA, TIFR).

The researchers from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Christian Medical College, Vellore conducted a Lancet Study, following 251 children born in a low-income urban community in Vellore. According to the study, out of 251 children 205 children were tracked until the age of nine. The research paper is published  in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia journal. 

Indian Kids Thin at 5, Obese at 9: Study Reveals

The findings from the Lancet study showed that most of the children had a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) during the initial five years when they were born. The study mentions that 26.3% of children were classified as thin by the age of 7 years, while 5.2% were overweight or obese. It further shows that just two years later, thinness remained high at 21.6%, but overweight and obesity quickly jumped to 14.6%. 

See also: Social Media Overtakes Traditional Media as Top News Source, Reuters Study Finds

Professor Beena Koshy, who presently maintains the cohort at CMC Vellore said, "Our findings show that children growing up in low-income urban communities are now facing both thinness and emerging obesity before they even enter their teens.” She further said, "Malnutrition in India is no longer just about underweight toddlers, but about the entire childhood years." 

More Findings from the Lancet Study

The researchers also found that those children who are born to underweight mothers or with low birth weight were more likely to remain thin as they reach their teenage years, suggesting that poor nutrition can pass from one generation to the next generation. The research further said that those children who were born at a normal weight had a higher likelihood of being overweight by the time they were at the age of 9, which indicates the effects of the dietary changes and lifestyle changes in the urbanizing neighborhoods. These findings from the study show that Indian children may move from early growth deficits to later excess weight soon.

See also:  Why Do Cats Meow More at Men Than Women? New Study Gives Fascinating Insight Into Your Pets

Both forms of malnutrition carry long-term health risks for children, according to Nihal Thomas, CMC Vellore. Undernutrition can increase the risk of diabetes in lean children because of impaired insulin production. Excess body fat combined increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure later in their lives. The researchers at Vellore talk about the findings pointing towards a critical window between the ages of seven and nine, when children's metabolic health commences to change.

Prof. Ullas Kolthur (ARUMDA, TIFR) and Prof. Mahendra Sonawane (TIFR, Mumbai) emphasized the importance of prioritizing children's health in the initial years: "Our findings emphasize the importance of focusing on child growth beyond the first 1,000 days. 

For a healthy life it is important to extend nutrition, growth monitoring, and healthy food and physical activity initiatives into the primary school. In these years, children's metabolic profiles are being shaped. "Acting in this issue could have a major impact on preventing the progression from early growth faltering to later obesity and related metabolic disorders in later life."

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

Suggested reading: