The IAA One Minute Blog

Scientists are currently undergoing a new study to try and understand if metabolism is set from birth.

Studying Metabolism in Infants

Tiny babies as young as two weeks old are hanging out with scientists who take measurements of their body fat and their metabolism.

Researchers believe that by studying metabolism in the first weeks of life—long before a person’s weight is influenced by outside factors like the foods they are fed or choose to eat—they will uncover the biological basis for obesity. Newborns don’t exercise and their diets are comprised solely of breast milk or formula.

The theory is that a person’s “metabolic fingerprint” is set for life at birth. Decoding that fingerprint could ultimately lead to personalized interventions for children at risk for obesity.

Babies enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-funded study are first brought into the lab at just two weeks old for their first two measurements: body fat percentage and metabolism.

To calculate body fat, babies are placed inside an enclosed, oval shaped chamber called a Pea Pod. The machine measures how much air volume the baby takes up inside the pod, compared to the baby’s body mass.

The researchers plan to look at each baby’s body fat at just a few weeks old and compare it to how it looks at two years of age.

So far hundreds of babies have had their body fat measured in the Pea Pod. Along with others globally, the team has data on approximately 7,000 babies.

The second measurement is newborn metabolism. Scientists use an infant metabolic chamber which is a plexi-glass cube furnished with a tiny mattress.

A baby’s metabolism is calculated by taking precise measurements of the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the chamber. Researchers know the concentration of these gasses in the air when the baby goes into the chamber, and each exhalation contains more carbon dioxide than oxygen. By measuring the amount of oxygen babies breathe in versus carbon dioxide they breathe out, researchers can estimate how many calories they are burning. If the baby is working harder to burn calories, it produces more carbon dioxide.

So far about 40 babies have been studied in the metabolic chamber and the first results are not expected until next year.           

Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. The extra pounds often start children on a path to health problems that were once considered adult problems:

• Breathing problems: Asthma is more common in children who are overweight.
• Diabetes (type 2): This chronic condition affects the way your child’s body uses sugar. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol: A poor diet can cause your child to develop one or both of these conditions. These factors can contribute to buildup of plaques in the arteries, which can cause arteries to narrow and harden, possibly leading to a heart attack or stroke later in life.
• Joint pain: Extra weight causes extra stress on hips and knees. Childhood obesity can cause pain and sometimes injuries in the hips, knees and back.
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: This disorder which usually causes no symptoms causes fatty deposits to build up in the liver. This can lead to scarring and liver damage.

Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.

  To help prevent weight gain in your child:

1. Set a good example: Make healthy eating and regular physical activity a family affair.
2. Have healthy snacks available
3. Choose non-food rewards: Promising candy for good behavior is a bad idea.
4. Be sure your child gets enough sleep:  Sleep studies indicate that too little sleep may increase the risk of obesity. Sleep deprivation can cause hormonal imbalances that lead to increased appetite.
5. Don’t have a clean plate policy: If kids are satisfied, don’t force them to keep eating. Reinforce the idea that they should only eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.
6. Don’t talk about “bad foods”: Kids may rebel and overeat forbidden foods outside of the home or sneak them in on their own.

Nationwide, America’s obesity epidemic affects nearly 20 percent of children and teenagers according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 40 percent of adults—a figure expected to rise to 50 percent by 2030.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you and your family to have a healthy life. Make the time to see if there are any healthy lifestyle changes you can make! Remember, with IAA one call does it all.

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