Too much TV breeds a fat child

SCIENTISTS have drawn up a check-list of early warning signs of child obesity, among them too much television and not enough sleep. More than eight hours of TV a week or less than 10 hours' sleep a night for a three-year-old increase the risk of piling on the weight, they say. Dr John Reilly of the University of Glasgow said there are certain factors, very early on, which can set you on a particular path in life to becoming obese. The others are: high birth weight; early size; rapid weight gain; quick growth in years one and two; early body fat; and having obese parents. "We shouldn't be complacent about the lifestyles of our children," Reilly said. "What our study is showing is that although there are early growth risk factors, there are also a number of risk factors that relate to lifestyle, of three-year-olds and probably earlier, that seem to make a difference." He and his colleagues, whose findings were reported online by the British Medical Journal, studied more than 9,000 children aged seven whose growth had been followed since birth.