The relationship of height and body fat to gender-assortative weight gain in children. A longitudinal cohort study (EarlyBird 44)

Abstract

Height is transmitted by both parents, and the body fat of overweight/obese children largely by the same-sex parent, but the extra height associated with more fat in the child is unrelated to the height or weight of either parent. The secular trend in height among contemporary children may simply reflect their rising body fat. Excess fat is unhealthy, so the trend in height may not be healthy either.