Obesity in Infancy: Questions, More Questions, and Few Answers

Current literature presents conflicting views about the existence of infant obesity and its role as a risk factor for later life obesity and comorbidity. This article reviews extant literature and addresses the issues raised about obesity and overweight status in the first 2 years of life. The epidemic increase in childhood obesity stimulates questions about the effects of body weight changes during infancy upon future health status. The influence of maternal obesity and family inheritance patterns is a significant risk for childhood obesity, yet the picture is unclear for birthweight, infant weight gain, and growth parameters in the earliest years of life. Prevention, management, and treatment are indicated when families present with obesity patterns among their members.