Obese Baby With Mystery Illness Weighs 20Kgs At Just 10 Months Old | HuffPost Life

Mystery Illness Leaves 10-Month-Old Baby 'Morbidly Obese'

Barcroft

At just ten months old, Juanita Valentina Hernandez weighs the same as an average five-year-old. And it poses a huge risk to her health.

The bubbly youngster weighed just six pounds when she was born, but began piling on weight weeks later - to the point where she is now morbidly obese.

Baby Juanita tips the scales at a massive 20kgs and is undergoing tests to determine the cause of her surprise weight-gain.

Juanita's anxious mother, Sandra Franco, from Libano, Colombia, said she has no idea about the cause of her daughter’s worrying weight problem.

“When she was fifteen days old she was already looking chubby, because she was born very thin," said Franco.

"Since then she’s been gaining weight. Now she is ten months old and I have realised that she has morbid obesity.

“Until now I haven’t been able to treat her because I am unemployed and didn’t have the money."

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Last month Colombian charity Gorditos de Corazon - Chubby Hearts - brought Juanita to the capital, Bogota, where a team of specialists began treatment.

Charity founder Salvador Palacio Gonzalez has made it his mission to tackle a growing obesity problem, which increasingly is affecting children.

Juanita is the third baby he has seen in the last year who weighs more than 20kgs.

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Facts About Childhood Obesity

Over Half Of Obese Children First Become Overweight By Age 2(01 of10)

These kids are even more likely to become obese adults. (credit:Alamy)

17 Percent Of Children And Adolescents Are Obese(02 of10)

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 17% (or 12.5 million) of kids and adolescents aged 2 - 19 years in the United States are now obese. (credit:Alamy)

Obesity Rates Among Kids Ages 2-5 Have Doubled In 30 Years(03 of10)

The rate among this age group increased from 5% to 10.4% in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008. (credit:Alamy)

One In Five Kids Is Overweight By Age 6 (04 of10)

Obese kids are more likely to also be obese as adults, which puts them at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and more adult health problems. (credit:Alamy)

The Childhood Obesity Rate Has Almost Tripled Since 1980 (05 of10)

CDC data shows that there was an increase in the pervasiveness of obesity in the American population between 1976-1980 and then again from 1999-2000, the prevalence of obesity increased. (credit:Alamy)

One In Seven Low-Income Preschoolers Is Obese(06 of10)

Obesity in low-income 2- to 4-year-olds rose from 12.4% of the population in 1998 to 14.5% in 2003 but increased to 14.6% in 2008. (credit:Alamy)

Less Than Half Of Preschoolers Consume Two Daily Servings Of Fruit(07 of10)

And only 25% of kids in this age group get the recommended three daily serving of vegetables. One way to make sure your child gets the amount of fruit and vegetables that they need is to serve them at every meal. (credit:Shutterstock)

One-Third Of High School Students Get The Recommended Amount Of Exercise (08 of10)

In 2011, only 29% of high-schoolers in a survey participated in 60 minutes of physical activity each day, which is the amount recommended by the CDC. It’s best for kids to get three different types of exercise: aerobic activity, like walking or running, muscle strengthening activities like push-ups or pull-ups and bone strengthening activities like jumping rope. (credit:Alamy)

Childhood Obesity Is Linked To A Wide Range Of Health Problems(09 of10)

High blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiovascular issues have been previously tied to obesity. But a 2013 study found that obesity also puts kids at risk for other health issues such as ADHD, allergies and ear infections. (credit:Alamy)

The Food Industry Spends Over $1.6 Billion To Market To Kids Each Year(10 of10)

This number was documented by the FTC in 2008. According to the APA, there are strong associations between the increase in junk food advertising to kids and the climbing rate of childhood obesity. (credit:Alamy)

Last year the charity helped the families of obese babies Santiago Mendoza and Mayra Caicedo who had a combined weight of 41kgs.

Speaking previously about the epidemic in his country, Salvador said: "Thousands of children in Colombia - and millions around the world - suffer with obesity.

"From Colombia we have formed an international alliance to help people who are overweight."

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Despite being less than one year old, Juanita faces a bleak future if her rapid weight gain cannot be controlled.

According to the charity it is crucial to intervene before the age of one in order to prevent illnesses associated with obesity from becoming a critical health risk.

Sandra added: “To all mothers that have babies like this, please take care of our children if we don’t want them to get sick. Please don’t let them die from one of these diseases."

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