Newswise — MAYWOOD, Ill. – (June 25, 2014) The number of children who are obese remains alarmingly high in the U.S. and, unfortunately, diseases associated with obesity are on the rise. Worried about their overweight children, many parents wonder if other diagnoses, such as hypothyroidism, could be the reason behind their child’s weight gain.

But according to experts more often than not the underlying issues are more strongly influenced by environmental factors, such as largely sedentary lifestyle or a caloric intake that exceeds a child’s daily needs. Other environmental influences and their genetic profile are additional topics of research and discussion.

“Parents understand that obesity is a very serious condition. They are looking for ways to help their child become healthy and often get sidetracked from the real issues. Rarely some children may have a hormonal issue. However, this constitutes less than 1 percent of all causes of childhood obesity,” said Himala, Kashmiri, DO, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Loyola University Health System and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “More commonly, weight gain and subsequent obesity are the consequence of a child’s predisposing risk of obesity and the environment.”

“If a child stops their linear height or slows down in regards to height gain or is otherwise short than would be expected due to parent’s height, then that certainly could and should raise concern for a hormonal imbalance that may be leading to weight gain. Weight gain alone, however, is not solely a sign of hormonal imbalance,” said Kashmiri.

Other signs that a child may have a hormonal issue include:• Drinking and urinating more than before• Excessive hunger• Experiencing unexplained weight loss• Feeling of being tired and cold• Bowl irregularities• Changes to hair, skin or nails• Poor linear growth or short stature

“If your child has weight gain along with these other symptoms, it’s important to talk to your pediatrician about seeing a specialist,” Kashmiri said. “Although severe obesity continues to rise, strategies to intervene and prevent childhood obesity actually are effective. These include decreasing sugary beverages, portion control, limiting fast food, making healthier food choices, increasing physical activity and decreasing screen time.”

“Obesity can lead to numerous health issues such as diabetes, elevated cholesterol, poor self-esteem, liver disease, high blood pressure and even cancer,” he said. “If your child is gaining weight talk to your pediatrician about resources and strategies to help with weight management and decreasing your child’s risk for these potential consequences.”

For media inquiries, please contact Evie Polsley at [email protected] or call (708) 216-5313 or (708) 417-5100. Follow Loyola on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/loyolahealthTwitter: http://twitter.com/LoyolaHealth YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/LoyolaHealth#p/u### Loyola University Health System, a member of Trinity Health, is a quaternary care system based in the western suburbs. It includes a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 22 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 569-licensed-bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 264-licensed-bed community hospital, the Professional Office Building housing 150 private practice clinics, the Adult Day Care, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness and Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center.