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Friday Feb 2 .  Asian tiger economies are producing a "programmed" generation of fat cats plagued with obesity-related diseases, a leading scientist warned today. Prof Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce, said that millions across Asia and elsewhere were already "doomed in the womb" to be especially vulnerable to abdominal obesity with a higher risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. "We have seen the warning signs of this already with an explosion in the levels of overweight and obesity in China and Asia. The problem is growing rapidly in India too. The developing world is not only catching up but is set to overtake the west. It faces a huge epidemic which no-one is really prepared for," he told scientists gathered for the First World Congress on the Fetal Origins of Adult Disease in Mumbai, India. "We need to look closely at the health of young mothers but also we need to focus on these vulnerable groups of children. They have higher risks but can still reduce the complications of obesity and related diseases if they are encouraged to adopt healthier lifestyles," he added. The United Nations-appointed Commission on the Nutrition Challenges of the 21st century, which Prof James chaired, last year called for action to address the problem of low-birthweight babies and fetal programming. The Commission's report, "Ending Malnutrition by 2020: an Agenda for Change in the Millennium" suggested that nearly a billion children's lives could be blighted over two decades and stressed: "The nutritional well-being of mothers in pregnancy remains one of the most neglected areas in world health." UNICEF, the UN children's agency, estimates that at least 20 million babies are born every year weighing less than 2.5 kilograms, with 70 per cent of them in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. They face a 50 per cent greater risk of serious developmental problems in addition to other illnesses, including premature death and illnesses associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to UNICEF. Prof James said the "fetal progamming" concept had gained scientific respectability as evidence emerged about the links between low-birthweight babies and long term health complications known as syndrome X. This meant that Asian men and women, who did not often appear obese by western standards, were particularly prone to store fat around their abdomen and faced far higher risks of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Teenage mothers, mothers who were badly nourished before and during pregnancy, and those who smoked, were particularly susceptible to having small babies. "Not as many underweight babies survived in the past, but over recent generations there have been tremendous advances in our understanding and great improvements in the quality of medical care. Parents often overfeed their children to compensate. But the combination of being born small and growing fast means these babies grow up to face greater risks of getting fat, developing high blood pressure, insulin resistance which leads to diabetes, and of suffering heart disease," he added. Fetal programming is only one of a complex set of factors behind the global epidemic of obesity in the 21st century. "It may account for part of the problem, but there are increased risks of weight-related diseases for everyone if we do not learn to adopt healthier lifestyles and deal with the challenge of finding ways to be more active and improve our diet," Prof James said. Note to editors: The International Obesity TaskForce is London based charity, part of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, a non-governmental organization officially recognized by World Health Organization in Geneva. The IOTF established an office to cater for Asia and the Pacific region to work with a number of agencies and governments to increase awareness and improve prevention measures. A joint report from the IOTF with IASO and WHO last year highlighted the increased risks Asians face from overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity is rising around the world. More details on: http://www.obesityasiapacific.com/title.htm Recent research in China has highlighted childhood obesity rising at a rate of 9% each year. Singapore has introduced long term campaign in schools to reduce obesity by improving diet and physical activity. UNICEF has published statistics on teenage pregancies showing the United States has the highest rate in the industrial world. http://www.unicef.org/pon96/inbirth.htm WHO has warned of a diabetes epidemic with the number affected rising from 140 million to 300 million in the next 25 years. More conference details: http://www.sneha-india.org/1stworldcongress/ Conference inquiries: Contact Andrew Last +44 020 8870 6777 IOTF media inquiries: Contact Neville
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