Docs Push Cholesterol Tests for Kids

And more likely to stay that way as toddlers, a new study finds

(NEWSER) - Chubby babies are adorable, sure, but a new study shows that overweight or "obese" babies (researchers shy away from attaching the label to kids so young) are likely to stay that way—and a huge number of infants fall into those categories. Almost 32% of babies are obese or overweight by nine months, and that number rises to 34% by two years, LiveScience reports. The study looked at the weight of 7,500 children born in 2001 over time. More»

Researchers find links to problems later from prenatal to 3 years old

(NEWSER) - A kid's path to fat camp may begin even before conception, and, as one doctor tells the Los Angeles Times , “during pregnancy and the first two years of life, mothers and their infants are seen by physicians more often than any other time. It's kind of a golden opportunity” to stop obesity before it starts. What you can do during: More»

In study, 50% would like to be 3 sizes skinnier for popularity

(NEWSER) - Half of the 6-year-old girls in Britain would like to be a lot skinnier than they are. That’s the conclusion of a Cambridge study that asked the pint-size participants to choose an ideal body from digitally altered photographs of themselves. Fifty percent went with the skinniest image, which was three sizes smaller than their actual body. Many said that having a tinier frame would make them more popular, reports the Telegraph . More»

(NEWSER) - Overweight kids eat more when they eat with their overweight friends, Newsweek reports. A new study tested a child's consumption of healthy snacks and junk food while in the company of a friend or stranger who was either fat or lean. Overweight kids eating with a chubby buddy ate more unhealthy calories than any other pairing. More»

(AP) - A striking new study says almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, and the rate is alarmingly higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese. Researchers were surprised to see differences by race at so early an age. Obesity is more common in Hispanic and black youngsters, too, but the disparity is most startling in American Indians, whose rate is almost double that of whites. More»