Abstract
Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The burden of these diseases is falling disproportionately on low and middle-income countries who are currently experiencing rapid changes in lifestyle patterns towards western diets and sedentary behaviours.
This results in growing numbers of children with obesity, but at the same time, these countries have continued high levels of undernutrition. Studies have shown that your nutritional status and growth in fetal life and early childhood are important factors for your later risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and it has been suggested that these diseases may start to develop already in childhood. However, knowledge about these relationships in populations from low-income countries is lacking.
The overall aim of this thesis was to study how weight, body mass index, fat and muscle growth in the first years of life affect fat, muscle and several diabetes and heart disease related blood markers in five-year-old children from urban Ethiopia
This results in growing numbers of children with obesity, but at the same time, these countries have continued high levels of undernutrition. Studies have shown that your nutritional status and growth in fetal life and early childhood are important factors for your later risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and it has been suggested that these diseases may start to develop already in childhood. However, knowledge about these relationships in populations from low-income countries is lacking.
The overall aim of this thesis was to study how weight, body mass index, fat and muscle growth in the first years of life affect fat, muscle and several diabetes and heart disease related blood markers in five-year-old children from urban Ethiopia
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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| Forlag | Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen |
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| Status | Udgivet - 2019 |