Pedro Moreira
PHOTO: Manuel Castells

At the table, the rule of the three Es should prevail: seated, calm and sociable. A a Portuguese program for the prevention of childhood obesityby Harvard Medical School, defends the importance of learning the importance of learning eating habits from childhood onwards, starting withstarting with following regular mealtimes meals and avoiding distractions such as television.. Pedro Moreira, professor of Food and Human Nutrition at the University of Porto (Portugal), reviewed this and other recent research on childhood overweight and obesity, at the VII conference of update on NutritionPhysical Activity and Obesity of the University of Navarra.

The expert advocated habits that include the consumption of vegetables, fruits and legumes in their weekly per diem expenses , avoiding excessive intake of fast food, snacks, industrial pastries, sweets or sugary drinks and not omitting breakfast. Susana Santiago, from the University of Navarra, who has researched the factors associated with obesity in more than 3,000 children, agreed with this and stressed the importance of studying the determinants of obesity in boys and girls separately, since gender affects vulnerability to the current obesogenic environment (with an abundance of conveniences), paying special attention to the hours that children dedicate to extracurricular sports activities.

Possible link between obesity and the perinatal environment
Both experts pointed out the enormous influence of the fetal and post-fetal environment on the risk of developing pathologies in later stages. Thus, weight gain during pregnancy, the subject of breastfeeding received or how and when solid foods are introduced in the infant's per diem expenses , can affect growth and be early markers of the risk of obesity.