Early growth spurts linked to obesity

Scientists have found that growth spurts in early childhood could be linked to future obesity.

A team of researchers at Glasgow University found that zebra finches which were given a high-protein diet halfway through their growth period developed a metabolic rate that was 20 per cent faster in adulthood than those fed on a regular protein diet, leading them to grow more steadily.

Professor Neil Metcalfe, a researcher at Glasgow University, said that such changes in metabolism, which may be due to a change in the size or functioning of key organs, are linked to obesity.

He explained: "It seems that the improvement in diet early in life caused a change in metabolism as well as a short-lived spurt in growth.

"Metabolism has long been believed to affect the likelihood of obesity in humans," he continued.

"It is now becoming increasingly clear that our risk of becoming obese or getting various metabolic or cardiovascular diseases when we are adults is linked to our earliest years."

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.