Why low birth weight babies become obese?

It is well documented that low birth weight babies are more at risk of becoming obese later in youth if they had the liberty to eat as much as they want. A new study recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research found that in low-birth-weight babies, the level of the appetite-producing neuropeptides in the brain is higher, which results to a natural tendency among these children to consume more calories to catch up in growth and make up for the decrease in nutrition while in the womb. Hence, if the amount of food is not controlled it might lead to childhood obesity.

Low birth weight can be caused by malnutrition due to a mother's homelessness or hunger or her desire not to gain too much weight during pregnancy. Additional causes include illness or infection, a reduction in placental blood, smoking, or use of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy.

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