{
  "id": 26088,
  "title": "A 42-year-old childhood obesity theory may be wrong",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/a-42-year-old-childhood-obesity-theory-may-be-wrong-26088",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-07-31T11:28:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily Health",
    "slug": "sciencedaily-health",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051534.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New research challenges a 42-year-old theory about the decline and later increase in children's body mass index (BMI). The long-held belief, called \"adiposity rebound,\" suggests body fat first decreases and then returns. However, a new study led by Professor Andrew Agbaje from the University of Eastern Finland suggests the later BMI rise is not due to fat rebound but rather the normal growth of muscle and other lean tissue. This concept, first introduced in 1984, has led some physicians to believe it is a warning sign that can be prevented or altered through diet and lifestyle changes. If the rise in BMI is just a normal part of growth, efforts to stop it may be addressing a non-existent problem. Agbaje's analysis, published in The Journal of Nutrition, questions the existence of adiposity rebound, stating that it is a normal growth process unrelated to any health issues. The study found that BMI and a measure of body fat (waist circumference-to-height ratio) did not return to their original levels after declining during early childhood, supporting the idea that the rise in BMI is a normal part of growth. This finding could change how health care professionals view and treat childhood BMI patterns.",
  "summary": "New research challenges the decades-old idea that children experience an “adiposity rebound” when their BMI begins rising around age 6. Although BMI returns to earlier levels, a more reliable measure showed that body fat does not rebound at all. The increase appears to come from growing muscle and lean tissue as children prepare for later growth. Researchers say this normal process has been…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ScienceDaily",
        "title": "A 42-year-old childhood obesity theory may be wrong",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/a-42-year-old-childhood-obesity-theory-may-be-wrong",
        "published": "2026-07-31T11:28:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}