The International Journal of Obesity has found that young children who are regularly looked after by their grandparents have an increased risk of being overweight. Analysis of 12,000 three-year olds was based on data used from the Millennium Cohort Study.

The results suggested that the risk of being overweight was 34% higher if grandparents cared for them full time and it was 15% higher if they were cared part time by the grandparents. On the contrary, children who went to nursery or had a child minder had no increased risk of weight problems.

The increased risk was apparent in children in the group, whose mothers had professional job or lived with their partner.

Study leader Professor Catherine Law said that the study did not look at why grandparental care was associated with being overweight but the indulgence of children and lack of physical exercise were two possible explanations.

The latest figures point that child obesity levels in the country, which are too high as compared to the rest parts of the world, are the lowest reported since 2001.