'Clumsy' Kids More Likely To Become Obese In Later Life, Study Says

Is your child clumsy? If yes, be careful as a new study found that kids with poor hand control and poor coordination are at an increased risk of becoming obese in later life.

The latest study adds to a link which directly relates poor cognitive functions in childhood to obesity and type 2 diabetesdefine in adulthood.

A team of researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Imperial College, London looked at the data of thousands of people who took part in a study on child development in Great Britain that began in 1958. These children were tested for hand control, co-ordination and clumsiness at age 7 and eleven and were then followed until age 33.

The tests included tracing a simple design to measure accuracy like marking square shape on paper in 60 seconds, and the time in seconds it took to pick up 20 matches.

The authors of the study found that children who did 'least well' in tests assessing their cognitive and physical function and were identified as ‘clumsy’ by teachers at the ages of 7 and eleven were more likely to be obese by the age of 33.

The authors of the study wrote, "Obese adults and those with adult onset Type 2 diabetes mellitus may already have lower levels of cognitive function in childhood, consistent with a subtle developmental impairment."

The researchers say that the results of the study were true even after adjusting for other factors such as body mass indexdefine in childhood and social class and the cognitive impairment in obese adults was assumed to be a consequence of obesity.

The study did not look at the specific biological processes connecting poor hand control and coordination in childhood with adult obesity.

The authors said, "Some early life exposures [such as maternal smoking during pregnancy] or personal characteristics may impair the development of physical control and coordination, as well as increasing the risk of obesity in later life."

"Rather than being explained by a single factor, an accumulation throughout life of many associated cultural, personal, and economic exposures is likely to underlie the risks for obesity and some elements of associated neurological function", they concluded.

The scientists were not able to find the factor leading to obesity and clumsiness but some health experts feel that it could be related to the amount of sport children went on to play.

The result of the study appears in the online edition of the British Medical Journal.

In another study conducted in 1991, researchers looked at the children who were identified as clumsy at 6 years of age and were reevaluated 10 years later. They found that clumsy children in their adolescents, had substantial motor difficulties, also had educational, social, and emotional problems. But authors also noted that not all clumsy children have academic or social problems, but they are more likely to have physical, social, and academic problems.

In a previous study researchers found that running slashes down the risk of not only of cardiovascular disease but also of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, as well as cancerdefine. Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University.