New child obesity heart warning
Wednesday September 26th, 2012
New findings suggest that obesity in childhood can have far-reaching effects on future heart health.
Dr Carl Heneghan of Oxford University, UK, and colleagues warn that previous studies may have underestimated the heart risks of obesity.
They looked at findings from 63 studies including 49,220 healthy children aged five to 15 years living in developed countries.
Campaigners said the findings highlighted the need for action on childhood obesity.
June Davison, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “Unless action is taken, childhood obesity is likely to cause future health problems for children.
“However, this problem can be solved by teaching children about the importance of lifestyle at a young age. By highlighting the need to eat healthily and stay active, we can help today’s children, and tomorrow’s adults, to keep their hearts healthy."
Information was gathered on weight and one or more known heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or blood glucose levels.
Analysis suggests that obese children had significantly higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels than normal weight children. Blood pressure was also raised in overweight children, but to a lesser extent. Details are published in the British Medical Journal today (September 25).
Furthermore, some markers for diabetes such as fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance were significantly higher in obese children, although not overweight children.
Obesity was also linked to a greater thickening of the heart muscle, called left ventricular mass, which can be a marker for heart disease. Overall, the experts say that obese children could be at a 30 to 40 per cent higher risk of future stroke and heart disease than children of normal weight.
They conclude: "Weight, and especially obesity, has a significant effect on the risk parameters for cardiovascular disease that are present in children from age five years."
Commenting on the findings, Dr Lee Hudson and Professor Russell Viner of University College London, UK, state that further research is needed to clarify the effect of age and pubertal status, and to decide on the best way to assess and treat the problem.
Friedemann, C. et al. Cardiovascular disease risk in healthy children and its association with body mass index: systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Medical Journal September 26 2012; doi: 10.1136/bmj.e4759.
Tags: Child Health | Diet & Food | Fitness | Heart Health | UK News
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