The fat cell theory is one of the mechanisms that explain obesity in children due to overfeeding in early years of life. The fat cells are distributed throughout the body. The depot expands either by increasing the size of fat cell or by increasing their number. According to the theory the percentage of body fat is determined by the number of fat cells which is either influenced by genetic inheritance or eating habits.
The size of fat cells gradually increases if the energy balance is positive. If the energy or caloric intake continues to be high, cell number begins to increase. Once fat cells increase their number seems to be fixed and they cannot be lost even if weight is lost. In general, cells proliferate most rapidly from birth to 2 years of age and during the late childhood and puberty.
This is the difference in from obesity beginning in adulthood and childhood. In adulthood, obesity begins due to increase in the fat cell size and in childhood the number of fat cells also increase.
So please pay attention to what your kids eat, they may not understand now but will definitely thank you in future for developing healthy eating habits.