Time: Insecure toddlers more likely to become obese

A new study underscores the importance of mother-child bonding, finding that young children who were not emotionally secure with their parental relationships were 48 percent more likely to be obese at 4 1/2. Research has shown that children's ability to respond to stress is formed early based on interactions with their caregivers, and an exaggerated stress response can disrupt the body's ability to regulate body weight. Therefore the researchers, including Robert Whitaker, professor of pediatrics and public health at Temple's Center for Obesity Research, hypothesized that children who are insecurely attached are at higher risk for obesity.
May 10, 2011 | Time