This is the next in a series of article excerpts by me discussing all forms of diabetes and metabolic syndrome and which were originally published in the Caller Times and reposted here with permission. You can also download an iPod friendly .zip file of me reading this article here.

In my experience seeing thousands of South Texas boys and girls with obesity and diabetes, I have discovered that childhood obesity starts at birth and maybe even before birth.

Infants born overweight (greater than 9 pounds) are more likely to develop diabetes and obesity earlier in life, as well as develop other serious health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and polycystic ovary disease than their lighter-weight counterparts. The mothers of these heavyweight babies often have gestational diabetes, which may go away after the baby is delivered, or they develop permanent diabetes within the next 10 years.

Research suggests that the baby’s brain is programmed to eat more when born too small, but if weight is gained too quickly after birth, it will create a new “set point” in the baby’s brain to become a weight much heavier than should happen.

The rest of this article is posted in the archives at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Registration is required using your email address and a password that you select and manage.