Fatness Retards Sexual Development: Experts

Overweight children are most likely to be undersexed when they grow up, and in the worst cases some may have difficulty in leading normal sexual lives or even suffer lifetime sterility, Chinese medical experts warned today after a long-term investigation in this field.

Li Jiqi, an expert in bariatrics and visiting professor at the prestigious Harbin Medical Sciences University (HMSU), said that obese children aged from seven to 12 years old are usually afflicted by incretion disorder because of the huge deposit of fat in their bodies, which will possibly restrain the normal development of their sexual organs.

Studies on relations between overweight children and sexual development used to be neglected, though doctors and nutritionists have often pointed out that obesity, which is often the result of an unhealthy diet and a sedentary life, may lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and related complications.

The incidence of such diseases is about 90 percent among fat boys and 50 percent among fat girls, Li said.

When such boys grow up, he said, they will become feminized, for instance, with big breasts and buttocks, and high-pitched voices. Menstruation disorders or even lifetime sterility might afflict fat girls.

According to an investigation carried out by the Ministry of Education and other departments, five to ten percent of China's children are overweight and this figure is expected to double in a decade by growing at an annual rate of eight percent. China now has more than 300 million children, accounting for around 20 percent of the world's child population.

Bai Qingzhi, a professor at the HMSU who has been studying this problem for decades, said children who weigh about 20 percent more than their normal level can be considered as fat, and the problem is that many weigh 50 percent more than the normal level. It is widely believed that excessive body fat is emerging as a major health problem for Chinese youngsters, especially well-off urbanites who eat more high-calorie food.

Ge Keyou, director general of the China Nutrition Institute, attributed this problem to an unscientific diet and lack of exercise.

Ge also said that some couples still hold to the tradition that it is good and lucky to have a fat baby.

Specialists warn of a possible sharp increase in the overweight population in the coming years, and note that obesity may become China's primary health threat in the 21st century. And it is absolutely necessary for pregnant women to watch their own weight.

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