Ear Infections Linked to Obesity

Ivanhoe Newswire

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you have a sweet tooth and a preference for fatty foods, you may be able to blame it on a common childhood affliction. Scientists discovered an unexpected link between chronic middle ear infections, taste, food choices and obesity.

The findings were presented by researchers from around the country at the American Psychological Association Convention in Boston. People with a severe to moderate history of otitis media, a common middle ear infection, were 62 percent more likely to be obese.  Middle aged women who had ear infections and suffered nerve damage affecting taste preferred sweet and high fat foods. They were also more likely to have larger waists. It was also established that preschoolers with a severe history of ear infections ate fewer vegetables, more sweets and tended to be heavier.

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Tonsillectomies were also linked to obesity based on a reanalysis of data collected in the 1960s by the National Health Examination survey. The new assessment showed children between the ages of 6 and 11 who had their tonsils removed were 40 percent more likely to be overweight. Teenage girls who had tonsillectomies were 30 percent more likely to be overweight.

Epidemiologist Howard Hoffman, MA, pointed out that removing tonsils was a common treatment for chronic ear infections This data suggests that there are lingering effects of tonsillectomies on taste nerves that can affect eating habits, Hoffman was quoted as saying.

Treating ear infections with tubes can also lead to higher body mass indexes (BMIs) in toddlers. Obesity has doubled over the past 20 years among preschool children. The more data we collect on what contributes to this major public health problem, the greater likelihood we can prevent it, Kathleen Dale, Ph.D., epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was quoted as saying.

SOURCE: American Psychological Associations 116th Annual Convention, August 2008

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