Are fat children more likely to become fat adults?
Yes and no. One study showed that nine out of ten obese infants became lean by the time they were seven. Yet, obese infants are still three times more likely to be fat at age seven than infants who have been lean from the start. Studies have also shown that forty percent of obese seven-year-olds are likely to become obese adults, seventy percent of obese preteens are likely to become obese adults, and around eighty percent of obese adolescents are obese as adults. The fatter children are in the first few years of life and the longer they keep their excess fat, the greater the likelihood they will remain fat into adolescence and adulthood. Does overeating lead to overfattening? Most studies show that fat children and adults do not eat more than lean ones, some may even eat less. What’s significant, however, is that while fat persons do not necessarily eat more food, they do eat more calories than they burn off in exercise. The fat person may also have a slower metabolism than the lean p
