Chubby kids might be cute, but childhood obesity is known to raise the risk for diabetes and heart disease. And an alarming new study shows that even by kindergarten age, large numbers of American kids have a body mass index BMI that suggests theyre on the path to obesity.

The proportion of kids who are heavy rises markedly during elementary school, with the biggest gains coming between first and third grades – and excess weight gain is particularly common among Hispanic children and black girls.

“It not just kids who are already overweight getting more and more so,” study author Ashlesha Datar, a senior economist at California-based RAND Corp., told HealthDay. “There is an entire shift. Even those who are normal weight are gaining weight.”

Obesity now begins in kindergarten? What new study says – HealthPop – CBS News