Grandchildren of obese grandparents are more likely to suffer from obesity

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According to the World Organization of health, 39 million children under the age of five are overweight. Obesity in children and adolescents is associated with additional health risks. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, diabetes, accelerated growth and maturation, psychosocial problems, heart disease and premature death.

New research led by PhD student Edmund Vedam Kanmiki of the University of Queensland, Australia shows that grandchildren of overweight grandparents are more likely to have the same problem.

How parents contribute to their children's obesity risk is well-studied. But how do grandparents affect it? A group of scientists led by Kanmika conducted a systematic review of studies involving more than 200,000 people around the world. Researchers have found that obesity runs in families for several generations.

Scientists examined global data on the link between grandparents who are overweight or obese and their grandchildren's normal weight. 25 studies involving more than 238,000 people from 17 countries were reviewed. The combined evidence confirms that obesity is passed down from generation to generation—not only from parents to children, but also from grandparents to grandchildren.

Researchers found that children whose grandparents were obese or overweight, almost twice as often face the same problem, compared to peers whose grandparents have a normal weight.