From Infancy to Adulthood: The Hidden Dangers of Overfeeding, Postpartum Wine, and Soft Drinks

**5. Overfeeding during infancy and early childhood can easily lead to obesity.**

Overfeeding during infancy is a major cause of obesity in infants and toddlers. Many people see chubby babies as a sign of good nutrition, believing them to be both cute and healthy. However, excessive nutrition during infancy can sow the seeds for obesity in adulthood.

Infancy is the period of fastest growth and development in a person's life, with the growth of all tissues and organs primarily driven by an increase in cell number, including adipose tissue. Overfeeding during this period can lead to a significant increase in the number of fat cells, far exceeding that of non-obese children. Furthermore, developing a habit of large appetites from a young age can correspondingly enhance gastrointestinal activity, accelerate gastric emptying, increase hunger, and lead to overeating, gradually exacerbating obesity and contributing to childhood obesity.

According to educational authorities, 4 out of every 100 children are obese upon entering school, rising to 8-9 by sixth grade. Over the past 20 years, the number of obese boys has approximately tripled, and girls have doubled. Severely obese children are essentially in the preparatory stage for adult-onset diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, and hyperlipidemia. According to the latest statistics, one in four children in the United States is overweight. The increase in obesity means an increase in the number of children preparing for adult diseases, thus becoming a significant problem. In recent years, many young adults aged 30-40 have suffered from myocardial infarction, a consequence of factors sown in childhood that could lead to these adult diseases.

**6. Traditional postpartum care practices may lead to obesity**

In recent years, the number of obese pregnant women has been increasing, mostly due to excessive food consumption during pregnancy (commonly known as "postpartum confinement") in an attempt to enhance so-called "nutrition." It's common to see pregnant women endlessly eating walnuts. When asked why, they'll tell you walnuts are good for the brain and will make your child smarter. However, walnuts are a high-energy food rich in fat; the fat content of a walnut kernel is about 55%, and 15 grams of walnut kernels (about one and a half walnuts) is equivalent to the energy produced by 10 ml of cooking oil. Lacking a correct and comprehensive understanding of nutrition, some pregnant women mistakenly believe that eating more equates to enhanced nutrition, leading them to consume all sorts of high-fat, high-sugar foods indiscriminately, resulting in excess energy intake.

Excessive nutrition during pregnancy, leading to excessive weight gain, is the main cause of obesity during pregnancy. Obese pregnant women face many challenges during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery, such as a higher risk of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, difficulty in natural delivery due to an oversized fetus, and the potential for developing chronic diseases.

In the late 1970s, my country implemented its family planning policy, advocating that each couple have only one child. Girls born at that time are now of childbearing age. Only children already receive a great deal of care from their elders, and this care intensifies once they become pregnant. Lack of exercise and overnutrition are particularly common among these pregnant only-child girls. Therefore, it is necessary to remind every pregnant woman and her family to choose a reasonable and balanced diet, control weight gain during pregnancy, and prevent gestational obesity to maintain the health of the pregnant woman.

7. Alcohol is a top killer of obesity.

Some people believe that obesity is unrelated to drinking alcohol, but in fact, obesity in many adult men is caused by drinking alcohol.

Alcoholic beverages are mainly divided into two categories: distilled spirits (such as baijiu and shaojiu) and non-distilled spirits (such as huangjiu and wine). The alcohol content (proof) of an alcoholic beverage refers to the percentage of alcohol it contains. Taking 60-proof Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) as an example, 100 grams of baijiu contains 60 grams of alcohol. Since 1 gram of alcohol produces 7 kilocalories of energy, 100 grams of Erguotou can produce 420 kilocalories of energy, second only to fat.

Although beer has a low alcohol content, generally between 3% and 5%, it produces a high amount of energy. One liter of 12-degree beer can generate 330 kilocalories of energy, earning it the nickname "liquid bread." At the same time, the hops in beer can stimulate the gastric mucosa, promote appetite, and increase food intake.

Excessive drinking can lead to weight gain because alcohol not only has a high calorie content, but it is also preferentially oxidized and absorbed by the body. This means that food eaten at the same time or after drinking cannot be well utilized by the body and is easily converted into fat and stored.

It is important to emphasize that, apart from providing energy, alcohol has no other nutritional value. On the contrary, the metabolism of alcohol consumes other nutrients in the body, such as folic acid, vitamin B₁, niacin, and vitamin B₆, leading to deficiencies in these nutrients.

Furthermore, alcohol consumption is extremely harmful to the liver because alcohol needs to be detoxified in the liver; approximately 90% to 95% of alcohol is metabolized by the liver. Excessive alcohol can damage liver cells, causing alcoholic hepatitis, and even progressing to cirrhosis, ultimately leading to liver cancer. Therefore, drinking should not be done recklessly or without restraint; it should be done in moderation and in limited quantities.

**8. Soft drinks are “fattening agents”.**

Soft drinks are beverages that do not contain alcohol. American medical experts have pointed out that if a person drinks one can of soft drink every day, their probability of becoming obese increases by 60%. This point has also been repeatedly reiterated by obesity experts in my country. This is unrelated to how much a person eats, how long they watch television, or how much exercise they do each day.

A recent U.S. survey found that obese children consume 65% more fruit juice than children of normal weight. Researchers pointed out that many parents believe that natural fruit juice is beneficial to children's health and therefore do not restrict the amount of juice their children drink. In fact, the calories in fruit juice significantly increase the likelihood of weight gain.

Nutrition experts believe that fruit juice consumption should be moderate. The American Institute for Children (AIC) recommends that children aged 1-6 years consume approximately 120-180 grams of fruit juice daily, while children aged 7-18 years should consume approximately 240-370 grams daily.

As a nation with a high prevalence of obesity, we often focus only on dieting to lose weight, but we lack sufficient awareness of the dangers of beverages that are high in sugar and calories, such as cola and other carbonated drinks. Their effect on obesity is no less than that of solid food, and they can make people gain weight without them even realizing it.

Cola is a powerful weight-gain promoter; the calories in just one can of cola would require a 40-minute walk to burn off. Currently, a "cola tribe" is quietly emerging among urban residents in my country, who drink little or no plain water, relying solely on cola. This inevitably makes them a high-risk group for obesity. For them, excessive consumption of cola-like beverages can completely negate the effects of dieting.

**9. Nutrient deficiencies lead to obesity**

When people talk about the causes of obesity, they often associate it with overnutrition. But few people know that nutrient deficiencies can also lead to obesity.

In recent years, Japanese nutrition experts have pointed out through research that some types of obesity are not simply due to the accumulation of nutrients, but to a large extent, because the diet lacks nutrients that enable fat to be converted into energy, such as vitamins B2, B6, and niacin. Only when energy is released in the body will fat decrease accordingly. Researchers analyzed the trace elements in obese children aged 3-6 years. The results showed that the serum copper content in the obese group was higher than that in the control group, while the iron and rubidium content was lower. Although the zinc and magnesium content was not statistically significant compared with the non-obese control group, individual observations of obese children revealed that many had lower zinc and magnesium levels.

American experts have also found that insufficient water intake prevents the body from fully metabolizing fat, leading to weight gain. A chronic protein deficiency can cause muscle atrophy, and reduced muscle mass lowers the basal metabolic rate, reducing energy expenditure and contributing to weight gain.

Therefore, attention should be paid to the supplementation of nutrients, especially vitamins B₂, B₆ and niacin, in the diet, and attention should be paid to the storage and cooking methods of food to prevent the destruction of nutrients.

The Chinese diet is typically plant-based, making vitamin B2 deficiency or insufficiency common. Vitamin B₂ is found in various animal-based foods, especially animal organs, eggs, and dairy products, followed by legumes and fresh leafy green vegetables. Vitamin B₆ is widely distributed in food, with higher content found in egg yolks, fish, dairy products, whole grains, cabbage, and legumes. Niacin, commonly known as vitamin PP, is widely found in both plants and animals, but in relatively low amounts in most. Yeast, peanuts, whole grains, legumes, and especially liver contain the highest amounts. Corn also has a relatively high content, exceeding that of rice.