Why is puberty easy to obese?

Is your child in puberty and facing obesity? Are you very worried about your baby and want him to lose weight? First of all, let's explore the reasons why your child is obese.

Energy metabolism in puberty is slower

A recent study has explained that childhood obesity is caused by the slow energy metabolism in the child's body.

Scientists also observed that during puberty, children consume very little energy while they are resting. Usually, 15 year olds consume, on average, 450 fewer calories per day at rest than when they were 10 years old.

You might be surprised because it is commonly conceived that the larger body burns more calories to fuel the functioning of the brain, cardiovascular system and other bodily processes that help us survive. in.

However, Dr. Terence Wilkin, professor of endocrinology and energy metabolism at Exceter University UK, said: “The body is the best predictor of resting energy usage. During puberty, the body develops rapidly and energy consumption slows down. The reason may be that the human body grows up to conserve energy for the essential period of puberty, helping to ensure growth and development.

Calories consumed

Did you know that in primitive times, food resources were scarce. Children during puberty at that time do not suffer from obesity because they consume very little food and release very little energy. However, nowadays, food sources are increasingly plentiful with increasingly diversified ways of processing to stimulate children to eat better and eat more. What's more, if the caloric intake during puberty stays the same, the baby will often gain weight rapidly.

In addition, the biggest cause of childhood obesity is the freedom to use daily money and spend on buying snacks when children are at school at recess or leaving. .

Therefore, to prevent your child from gaining too much weight, you create a healthy diet, limit junk food or energy-rich foods to keep the child's body metabolized normally. during puberty.

The diet is not reasonable

Returning to the above study, the scientists examined results from about 350 school-aged children for 10 years. In it, each year, they will weigh and calculate the resting energy metabolism of children aged 7 to 16 years old. The average result is that many babies use less than a quarter of their resting calories at the age of 15 compared to 10. But by the time they are 16, their resting energy metabolism starts to increase again.

This research also shows that babies exercise less during puberty, so calories are consumed very little.

The scientists also emphasize the importance of the diet. Many children during puberty crave food, but the calories they consume decrease.

Today, children have easy access to foods containing many calories that previous generations did not have, so parents should learn to cook for themselves or teach their children to cook nutritious foods for their children. Besides, parents should also control the child's weight regularly. If you have other questions, please consult your doctor or nutritionist to develop a reasonable diet for your teenage child.