The effects of obesity on children's reproductive system, height and other physiological functions

(iv) The effects of obesity on the reproductive system in children

The effects of obesity on the reproductive system in children are mainly manifested as precocious puberty, underdeveloped sexual organs, and sexual dysfunction.

At the 7th Asian Nutrition Congress, experts proposed a relatively new view that may contradict the beliefs of most Chinese parents: that children's growth and development should not begin as early as possible.

The reasoning behind this is that the earlier a child develops and the faster they grow, the more susceptible they are to chronic diseases in adulthood.

Trying every possible way to feed children may be putting the seeds of future health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure.

High-calorie diets not only lead to childhood obesity but also cause children to enter puberty earlier.

Obese children are more likely to experience precocious puberty compared to children of normal weight.

Some obese girls have their first period as early as 9 or 10 years old; boys as young as 11 or 12 years old have already grown armpit hair, pubic hair, and beards.

However, after 3 to 4 years, these children's development ran out of steam, like charcoal burning too fast, resulting in underdeveloped sex organs.

The most fundamental aspect of the development of sex organs is the development of the testes and ovaries.

The testes and ovaries are the main sex organs for men and women, respectively. Their development directly affects the development of organs such as the epididymis, prostate, penis, fallopian tubes, and uterus, and thus influences an individual's reproductive function in adulthood.

In general, mild obesity in children does not affect the development of their sex organs, but severe obesity in children may hinder the normal development of their testes and ovaries, leading to dysfunction and low levels of sex hormones.

Testicular dysfunction, underdeveloped male secondary sexual characteristics, reduced armpit hair, pubic hair, and beard; some have short and thin penises, like those of children, unable to engage in normal sexual activity, affecting fertility or having no fertility at all; their voice is higher-pitched than that of normal men, unlike the deep and powerful voice of normal men.

Ovarian insufficiency can lead to indistinct female characteristics, underdeveloped breasts and uterus, and often results in low libido, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, and infertility after puberty.

However, not all obese children will experience impaired development of their sex organs; the degree of impact varies depending on the level of obesity.

Of course, for severely obese children, it is also important to check for congenital or chromosomal diseases, such as obesity-related reproductive dysfunction, which is not simple obesity but a pathological obesity.

(V) The impact of obesity on children's height

Obese teenagers typically develop earlier and faster than their peers, giving them an advantage in height, weight, and muscle strength.

They often reach their "grown height" by the age of 14 to 15, and most are taller than their peers. However, this "good period" doesn't last long. Girls usually stop growing after 13 to 14 years old, and boys after 14 to 15 years old. Even if they do grow, the rate of growth is slower than that of children of normal weight, and they eventually don't reach the height of children of normal weight.

The eating habits of obese children can also affect their height development. Obese children often have the habit of picky eating, overeating, and other unbalanced diets, which makes the composition ratio of various nutrients in their diet unbalanced.

Because protein is the "building material" of the human body, if the proportion of fat and carbohydrates in the diet increases and the protein supply is insufficient, height growth will inevitably be affected.

Obese children often crave sweets. Excessive sugar intake can lead to an increase in organic acids in the body (sugar is an acidic food), causing acidosis and even calcium dissolution in bones and teeth, affecting bone development and tooth growth.

Some obese children with picky eating habits have fewer sources of nutrients and may experience deficiencies in inorganic salts and vitamins related to growth and development, such as insufficient calcium and vitamin D. This can not only affect bone development but also make children more prone to bone and joint deformities, such as X-shaped legs and O-shaped legs.

Zinc deficiency affects the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in the body, impacting the body's metabolic processes and leading to slow development, decreased sense of taste, and loss of appetite in children.

Insufficient growth hormone secretion is another factor contributing to stunted height development in obese children.

Obesity leads to a decrease in the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, resulting in children of normal weight not reaching the height of normal children.

A person's height is influenced by a variety of factors, including race, genetics, geography, and climate. Obese children can be tall, and children of normal weight can be short. Obesity is not the only cause of growth retardation in children.

After excluding many factors that affect height development, dietary and nutritional factors become the main cause of short stature in children.

Therefore, parents should make an effort to change the unhealthy eating habits of obese children, starting by improving the biological value of food, increasing the variety of food, and ensuring that the nutrients in the diet are suitable for the needs of children's growth and development, so as to gradually cultivate good eating habits in children.

(vi) The impact of obesity on other physiological functions in children

Similar to the effects of obesity on the cardiopulmonary function of adults, obesity also has a certain impact on the cardiopulmonary function of children.

At the same time, obese children often have impaired endocrine function, especially pancreatic function, and a higher incidence of fatty liver.

In obese children, the heart is surrounded by fat, which makes the heart unable to contract and relax normally, like wearing thick armor. The amount of blood pumped out of the blood vessels with each heartbeat is reduced. In order to meet the body's need for blood, the heart must beat faster, causing obese children to experience palpitations, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing even with slight exertion.

Research results from the Second Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University indicate that childhood obesity is associated with lipid metabolism abnormalities, hyperinsulinemia, and other conditions, and is closely related to hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and a range of other metabolic diseases.

Obese children often have elevated blood pressure and disordered lipid metabolism, as confirmed by numerous studies.

Obese children have significantly higher levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, which leads to atherosclerosis) in their serum than normally developing children, while their high-density lipoprotein (HDL, which prevents atherosclerosis) levels are lower.

This means that obese children have an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.

There have been reports of cases of coronary artery disease in children as young as 5 years old.

The detection rate of hypertension in obese children is also much higher than that in normal children, which may be related to the increase of abnormal microvessels and the narrowing and tortuous arterial diameter in the body tissues of obese children.

In obese children, the thickening of chest wall fat affects the contraction of the external intercostal muscles, weakening their contraction ability and restricting rib elevation, resulting in a smaller anteroposterior and lateral diameter of the chest cavity; the increase and accumulation of adipose tissue in the abdominal cavity leads to increased intra-abdominal pressure.

Therefore, when the diaphragm contracts, the movement of the top of the diaphragm into the abdominal cavity is obstructed, the vertical diameter of the thoracic cavity decreases, and the lungs cannot expand fully. This impairs the respiratory system's ability to inhale fresh air and exhale carbon dioxide, reduces the oxygen content in the blood, and causes symptoms such as dizziness, headache, drowsiness, and fatigue. In severe cases, cyanosis may appear on the lips, fingers, and other areas.

Hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia caused by pancreatic dysfunction are also relatively common in obese children.

Obese children often experience symptoms such as dizziness, headache, palpitations, excessive sweating, and excessive hunger. They also often appear listless and yawn frequently when resting.

This is a sign of hypoglycemia, which is related to excessive intake of refined sugar in the diet and snacks.

The more sugar you consume, the more insulin is secreted, the faster the sugar is processed, and the blood sugar drops rapidly, being stored as fat.

In addition, if the pancreas is under excessive workload for a long time, it will eventually become fatigued, resulting in insufficient insulin secretion, elevated blood sugar, and diabetes.

The incidence of fatty liver disease is significantly higher in obese children than in children of normal weight. According to reports, the incidence of fatty liver disease in obese boys in Japanese primary and secondary schools is 4% to 5%, and the incidence in obese girls is 1% to 3%. Although the proportion of children with fatty liver disease is not as high as that in adults, the adverse effects on their health are much more serious.

(vii) The risk of childhood obesity progressing to adult obesity

How many people who are obese in infancy and childhood will become obese in adulthood is a question that many people are very concerned about.

Some people believe that infant obesity is benign and has a very low chance of turning into adult obesity.

However, Japanese scholar Takahashi believes that some adult obesity stems from childhood obesity, and that childhood obesity often develops into adult obesity, while also leading to secondary conditions such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

American scientists recently reported that newborns weighing less than 3200 grams at birth have an 18.4% chance of becoming obese as adults, while newborns weighing more than 4500 grams at birth have a 32.2% chance of becoming obese as adults.

Earlier data indicated that the risk of an obese infant becoming an obese adult is 14%, while the risk of a non-obese infant becoming an obese adult is 6%, with the former being 2.33 times greater than the latter.

41% of obese children aged 7 will become obese adults, while 11% of children with a normal weight will become obese adults, increasing their relative risk of obesity by 3.73 times.

Some reports indicate that 74% of obese boys and 72% of obese girls aged 10-13 become obese adults. Compared to the 31% of non-obese boys and 11% of non-obese girls of the same age who become obese adults, the relative risk of obesity for the former is 2.39 times and 6.55 times higher, respectively.

Because research on this issue requires long-term follow-up observation, the data in this area is not yet sufficient.

However, existing data indicate that children with simple obesity have a significantly increased risk of developing into obese adults, especially those who are obese before puberty.

Therefore, it is very important to start preventing adult obesity from childhood.