| Association Down Syndrome & Childhood Obesity
Association Down Syndrome & Childhood Obesity
Researches have recently discovered an Association between Down Syndrome and Childhood Obesity. Those with Down Syndrome tend to have more of a hormone known as leptin, which has been correlated with higher rates of obesity amongst kids and grown ups. Leptin helps control weight and suppress appetite, and the reason the higher levels of leptin in those who have down syndrome is thought to be that their bodies have more of a resistance to it.
The study was performed with 35 children with down syndrome, and they were compared to siblings without Down Syndrome. The siblings without Down Syndrome had lower body fat percentages, BMI and leptin levels compared to their siblings with Down Syndrome. The researchers left very obese patients out of the study and adjusted for the effect higher body fat percentages and different body compositions have on leptin production.
This study was performed by a research team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and they published their study online in the Journal of Pediatrics.
I never would have thought there to be an association with Down Syndrome and childhood obesity.
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