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Parents' fury as 'healthy' classmates are branded overweight by NHS health police
She swims, dances, eats a good diet and weighs a healthy 3st9lb.
But five-year-old Gracie Hill has been branded 'overweight' by NHS officials after she took part in a routine health check at school.
Nor is she the only one. Her classmate Bailey Russell, six, has also been told he was too overweight for his age and sex.
Both children were weighed at Chellaston Infant School, in Derby, as part of the National Child Measurement Programme.
Gracie - who at 3ft 10 ins tall - is within the recommended healthy range for a girl of her weight.
But under body mass index testing she is classed as overweight after scoring a BMI percentile of 92 per cent, just two percent over what is classed as a healthy result.
Mother Laura, 28, from Chellaston, in Derby, said she was disgusted when a letter landed on her doorstep labelling her daughter overweight - and warning her about the increased risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
She said: 'The letter opens with the awful statement "Your child is overweight for their age and sex", which as health-conscious parents made us extremely angry.
'We are outraged. Gracie couldn't be any more healthy, she eats a balanced diet and is always swimming, dancing or riding her bike.
'Yes, she has the odd chocolate bar and biscuit - but what child doesn't. But crucially her diet is balanced and she has a varied daily diet of fruit and vegetables.
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Mail.co.uk
Multi-vitamin during pregnancy 'cuts chances of having an underweight baby'
Children who are underweight at birth are more likely to develop health problems including difficulty breathing and jaundice.
Experts believe that they could also be more likely to develop a number of major illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease, in later life.
But new research suggests that taking a specially created supplement could cut the risk of having a small baby in half.
The multivitamin also improved the health of the pregnant women, the study found.
The research team called for larger studies to confirm their findings.
But they said that if these were consistent with their results many pregnant women could benefit from such supplements.
Dr Louise Brough, from Massey University in New Zealand, one of the co-authors of the study, said: “It is especially important to have good nutrient levels during early pregnancy as this is a critical time for development of the foetus.
“Nutrient deficiencies are correctable and they may influence birth outcomes.
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Devon woman jailed for 'sick son' con
A mother has been jailed for subjecting her son to "enduring" cruelty by pretending he was severely ill, to gain publicity and financial rewards.
The actions of Lisa Hayden-Johnson, 35, from Devon, led to him being operated on, Exeter Crown Court heard.
She also presented him in a wheelchair to the Duchess of Cornwall, appeared on television and spent charity donations.
She was jailed for three years and three months after admitting cruelty and perverting the course of justice.
'Sadistic fabrication'
The court heard that Hayden-Johnson subjected her son, who is now eight and lives in another part of the country, to a total of 325 medical actions - including being confined to a wheelchair and being fed through a tube in his stomach.
She claimed her son suffered from a long list of illnesses including diabetes, food allergies, cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis.
Andrew Macfarlane, prosecuting, told the court that Hayden-Johnson's "sadistic fabrication of non-existent symptoms" amounted to "24-hour-a-day torture".
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BBC News
NHS boss urges pay cut to address health inequalities
A senior NHS official has called on medical professionals to consider a pay cut to help create a fairer society.
Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said fresh ideas were needed to tackle health inequalities.
Her second biennial report highlights the gap in health and life expectancy between the rich and the poor.
She is reported to have said she would be prepared to take a drop in her own salary.
Dr de Caestecker, who is understood to earn about £142,000 a year, said: "It is well known that the larger the difference in income between the affluent and more deprived people in a community, the higher the level of almost every modern social, environmental and health problem.
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BBC News
Motherhood: a boon for the body?
Kim Clijsters made a fairytale comeback by winning the US Open on her return to Grand Slam tennis after giving birth to her daughter. Could child bearing actually be good for both body and mind, and should all new mothers be reaching for their rackets?
Clijsters' success has been seen as adding fresh credence to the theory that pregnancy can in fact enhance sporting prowess, at least among those who had some to start with.
She joins a short, but growing list of elite sportswomen who have pulled off impressive athletic feats not long after becoming mothers.
Few doubt that the demands of motherhood focus the mind as priorities are juggled.
But there is an increasing body of evidence that the biological changes of pregnancy may improve both physical and mental
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BBC News
Elderly man with swine flu dies
An elderly man who was suffering from swine flu has died, health officials have confirmed.
The 73-year old was being treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley at the time. He died late on Saturday.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said he was suffering from underlying health complications.
The pensioner, from Inverclyde, passed away late on Saturday night. He is the second person in the UK who was suffering from swine flu to die.
The first death, earlier this month, was a 38-year-old woman who gave birth prematurely while being treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. She also had underlying health conditions.
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BBC News
