Child ear infections linked to obesity

Ear infections may not just be a nuisance of childhood. A series of studies presented this week at the American Psychological Assn. annual meeting in Boston have linked chronic ear infections, called otitis media, to a higher risk of being overweight or obese later in life. The studies suggest that ear infections may damage nerves that control taste. This kind of nerve damage may influence a preference for fatty or sweet foods.

Among the findings:

• A study of more than 6,500 people ages 16 to 92 showed that those with a moderate to severe history of otitis media were 62% more likely to be obese.
• A study of middle-aged women with taste nerve damage found a preference among these women for sweet and high-fat foods.
• A study of preschoolers with a history of ear infections showed that these children ate fewer vegetables and more sweets and tended to be heavier.

Another study showed that tonsillectomies may also cause taste nerve damage that triggers food preferences. A study of more than 13,000 children ages 6 to 17 found that those who had had their tonsils removed were at an increased risk for being overweight. The papers were presented from researchers at the University of Minnesota, Brown University and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

-- Shari Roan

Photo: Gene J. Poskar/AP

Comments

[Captain Obvious]

Coincidence does not prove causality, and 62% is a fairly weak coincidence at that.

More probable is that careless and apathetic parents are more likely to have their kids get infections, and similarly are more likely to let kids eat whatever unhealthy foods they want.

[Very simple]

If your parents are too lazy to make sure you have a clean home and clean body, they are probably too lazy to care about all the junk food you are eating

[Ileftsf]

How about: Children whose parents feed them a diet rich in foods that acidify the body (dairy, sugar, refined carbs) are at higher risk of ear infections due to a diet impaired immune system. Treated with antibiotics, these children (whose parents continue to feed them the poisonous food) simply breed for the resistant strain of bacteria (hence the recurrent infection). The result is eventual obeseity due to poor eating habits and severely unbalanced internal flora. Dulled taste buds are also consistant with a stuffed up nose.

There is no victim here folks! The parents need to feed their children the right foods...

[Phil Anderson]

How do we know this isn't merely an association rather than a causal relationship? After all, we know the chronic otitis media is more common in lower socioeconomic groups. Obesity is also more common in lower socioeconomic groups. How do we know that there isn't some other factor that is common to persons in lower income brackets that influences development of both conditions?

[HAzel]

Sure blame obesity. It's so easy! I'm surprised you did'nt dig up some headless photo of a fat child to futher your fervor and continue to embarass fat children and their parents.

Why don't you do a study on how the germs in dairy products are behind most ear infections, sinus troubles, and bronchitis in children instead. Thanks to them I am 50% deaf in one ear due to childhood infections.

Plus what about the info that the ear infection virus went air born a few years ago due to misuse of anti-biotics?

As well why don't you post (for once) who these scientists did their study on, where it happened, and under what circumstances made this a general absolute for the whole country?