In America today, the child obesity rate is higher than ever. People often blame the weight problems of nation's children on things such as too much soda, fast-food, or poor nutrition in school cafeterias. But researchers at the BMJ recently published a study in the Archives in Disease in Childhood and discovered that there may be another reason that children are gaining too much weight. Unlike most obesity causes, which are along the lines of food or exercise choices, this one is purely medical. The study says that C-sections may boost the child's chance of obesity.

The Center for Disease Control says that nearly 32 percent of the births in 2007 were by C-section. Since 1996, the statistics for C-sections rose 20.7 percent. These figures show that about 4-18 percent of all C-sections were by maternal request. This means that they were not recommended by a doctor. Yet mothers may want to stop asking for C-sections with this new study showing the repercussions of such a birth. Currently, about one-third of America's children are overweight. Is there some sort of correlation between the rise in C-sections and the larger amount of overweight kids in the US?

According to the study, BMJ looked at 1,255 mom/baby pairs and how the children were delivered. 235 of the babies were delivered by C-section, and the other 971 were birthed naturally. The research team then looked at these children and analyzed their BMI. They also did a skin-fold test on the children when they turned 3 years old. This test measures the body fat of the kids. Amazingly, they discovered that the children who were delivered by C-section had twice the likelihood of obesity as those that were delivered vaginally.

15.7 percent of the Cesarean section children were considered obese, while only 7.5 percent of those who were delivered naturally had a weight problem. The children who were delivered by C-section who were not considered obese were still heavier than those who were not delivered this way. The study also discovered that almost all of the babies who were delivered by C-section were larger than those who were birthed vaginally, and the mothers who had C-sections did not breastfeed their babies as long as those who didn't. The BMJ study team says that C-sections alter the ways that babies are exposed to the world, and may tamper with the important digestive bacteria that babies glean from their mother during birth. This means that they might digest food differently as they grow up, and this, in turn may cause these children to have a higher potential for obesity. C-sections also increase a child's possibility for asthma in the future.

While a doctor cannot be blamed for this problem, physicians should be aware of the issues with a C-section and warn mothers of the dangers that they are risking when they request one. If a C-section is not needed for a medical concern, then the mother should choose to deliver vaginally instead. Doctors should make sure to inform their patients of studies like this. As well, as children are growing, doctors should carefully monitor their weight and their BMI. When children are gaining weight too fast it can create all sorts of medical issues later on. Obese children are more likely to have type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart diseases.

As well, childhood obesity decreases the youth's life expectancy by 2 to 5 years. Other dangers of childhood obesity include the possibility for hepatitis, cirrhosis, or liver failure. These conditions develop because the child will develop excess fat in his or her liver. One doctor warns parents that childhood obesity affects every single organ in a child's body. Even if your overweight child does not have problems right now, his or her weight may create serious illnesses in diseases when he or she becomes an adult. Make sure to make careful choices in order to preserve your child from the dangers of obesity.