Child's BMI aged six predicts likelihood of obesity as an adult
A child's weight at the age of six is crucial to determining their likelihood of being obese as an adult, new research has found.
Experts said that the first five years of a child's life were the most important for giving them a 'chance at a happy, healthy life'.
A study analysing 3,528 children in the Netherlands found that every one-unit increase in body mass index (BMI) at age six more than doubled a child's odds of being overweight or obese at 18, and was a better predictor of obesity than any other point in childhood.
• How to stop your teens (and yourself) eating ultra-processed foods
The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, demonstrated the importance of healthy environments
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
42 minutes ago
- Telegraph
We can cure baldness, claim scientists
Anxiously checking in the mirror for signs of male pattern baldness may be a thing of the past, as scientists in Madrid believe they have found a way to reverse hair loss. Researchers at the San Carlos clinic in the Spanish capital claim they were able to regrow hair on mice in almost all cases during an experimental stem cell treatment study. The project involved giving male and female mice dihydrotestosterone, a by-product of testosterone that causes receding hair lines in men and thinning hair in women. Once the rodents had lost all their fur, half of them were injected with stem cells taken from body fat as well as a chemical called adenosine triphosphate, which stimulates cellular growth. The other half were given a placebo. All the male mice given the stem cell-chemical cocktail experienced hair regrowth, with around half getting back all their fur. The majority of the female mice also regrew their coats. 'Hair grew back in all of the treated male mice. In the case of the females, a lower dose was used, and the results were also somewhat worse, although still good, because 90 per cent managed to repopulate their hair,' Dr Eduardo López Bran, head of dermatology at the San Carlos, explained. Four or five years to treatment The scientists, whose work was published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy, say that it will still be four or five years before a drug could be available, and that the next phase of testing will involve using human patients. Hair loss or alopecia is a common complaint in Spain, which has the highest percentage of bald men in the world at 44.5 per cent, according to a survey by Medihair, an online platform for hair loss treatments. Dr López Bran said he had 'noticed a huge increase in inquiries seeking a solution, a truly significant growth in demand, especially among young people who, at the first signs of baldness, want to slow its progression, or even reverse those initial symptoms'. By the age of 50, roughly 50 per cent of men will experience some form of male pattern baldness. Around 25 per cent of will spot signs of thinning or receding as early as 21. Hair transplant surgery has become increasingly popular over the last two decades, with the number of procedures performed globally rising by 76 per cent since 2006.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bombshell discovery in soil at 'site of Noah's Ark' that has convinced me Bible story is TRUE
A mysterious geological formation perched high in the mountains of Turkey could be the site where Noah's Ark landed around 4,300 years ago. That is the view of researchers who uncovered what they believe are man-made structures beneath the Durupinar Formation near Mount Ararat, a dormant volcano in eastern Turkey.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Rate of women being hired into top jobs falls for third year running
The rate of women being hired into UK leadership roles has fallen for the third year in a row, with increasing barriers to top jobs as they advance through their careers, according to figures from LinkedIn. The professional networking site revealed that women were hired into just more than a third – 36.8% – of leadership positions in the year to March 1, down 2.1% year-on-year. This has left the rate of female hires into senior roles back where it was in 2020, according to the figures. The data also showed that while more UK women are now in top management roles than they were in 2019 – at 30.9% last year versus 27.6% in 2019 – the progress has slowed significantly in the past two years, rising by just 0.3 percentage points. The figures suggest it becomes more difficult for older generations to reach senior management, with 19.4% of so-called baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – in these roles compared with 28.9% for gen X, 36.7% for millennials and 39.3% for gen Z. The statistics, compiled by analysing the group's 43 million-strong membership base across the UK, also show that, as of March, women made up 45.8% of hires in the UK, down 4.6% year-on-year. Globally, the figures paint a similar picture, revealing that less than a third of senior leadership roles are held by women (30.9%) despite making up almost half (43.2%) of the worldwide workforce. This 'drop to the top' is most pronounced in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) sector, where only around one in eight (12%) of leadership positions are held by women, according to LinkedIn. It is calling for the Government and businesses to promote hiring based on skills rather than qualifications to help ensure women do not get left behind, in particular amid the shift towards artificial intelligence (AI). Janine Chamberlin, head of LinkedIn UK, said: 'Just as AI is reshaping the workplace and demanding more adaptable, collaborative leadership, we're seeing women's progress into senior roles stall for the third year running. 'Women are 20% more likely to have that multi-domain experience, working across different industries and functions, which creates exactly the kind of flexible, agile leaders businesses need for AI transformation. 'Yet we're locking them out of leadership precisely when we need those skills most.' The online giant believes that a skills-based approach to hiring – through prioritising skills over qualifications in recruitment – could broaden the talent pool for women by 6.3 times globally.
