“Studies have proven the fact that a fat mother is likely to give birth to a fat baby as such cells are passed on to the child. Though obesity is hereditary only in 15-20 per cent cases, a fat mother transfers her obesity to the child and even though the baby may weigh normal in childhood, fat cells may manifest later.”

Dr Rekha Sharma, a former AIIMS nutritionist, said this while talking about the importance of healthy food at a fitness and nutrition workshop at VLCC in Sarabha Nagar today.

She added that about 25 per cent of urban kids, belonging to the middle socio-economic group, are obese.

“If not controlled through proper diet and lifestyle by the parents, children born to fat mothers are more likely to be obese in childhood or as adults,” she said.

“Since kids are physically active and may keep the balance between input and output of calories in childhood, as soon as adulthood sets in and as the physical activity reduces, they are more prone to obesity due to the presence of fatty cells,” said Dr Sharma who has served in the department of dietetics, AIIMS, for 28 years. She is presently the senior vice-president of VLCC Health Care.

She added that the percentage body fat might also vary on the higher side in people with normal height and weight so everyone should take care about what they eat. “What we eat is like what we wear since both reflect on us and determine how we look,” she said.

... contd.