Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News Grandma doesn't always know best when it comes to diet Young children who are regularly looked after by their grandparents have an increased risk of being overweight, an extensive British study has suggested.Analysis of 12,000 three-year olds suggested the risk was 34% higher if grandparents cared for them full time. Children who went to nursery or had a childminder had no increased risk of weight problems, the International Journal of Obesity reported. Nearly a quarter of preschool children in the UK are overweight or obese. The researchers said very little research had been done on the influence of childcare on weight. We know that obesity is a very complex issue with a wide range of factors involved Department of Health spokesman Yet childcare may have an effect on weight through diet and physical activity. The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which looked looking at the health of children aged between nine months and three years old, who had been born in the UK between 2000 and 2001.[Read more...]