Obese Children At High Risk of Heart Disease?

Posted on June 13, 2009 in Latest News

Obesity has been linked with heart disease in adults. But the scale at which kids are affected was not known. A new study by U.S. researchers shows that obese children can grow up with high risk of heart disease.  Obese kids were found have high levels of compounds which are related to heart disease and heart stroke.

The Study:
This study was done by researchers from Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville, Fa. The researchers conducted this study to see if obesity increases the risk of heart problems in children, as it does in adults. About 202 healthy children were analyzed – 115 of the kids were obese and half of them crossed puberty. None of the obese kids had metabolic syndrome – a condition which involves a combination of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and high cholesterol levels, which together increase the risk of heart disease.

The researchers found out that the obese kids have high levels of C-reactive protein, which reflects inflammation. (Inflammation is closely linked with heart disease). The obese kids had also high levels of fibrinogen, which helps in clotting of the blood. Both these aspects can greatly increase the risk of heart disease.

According to Dr. Nelly Mauras, lead researcher of this study, these findings show that aggressive interventions have to be taken up to control weight among children.

Obese kids are not treated by doctors unless they have signs of metablic syndrome –which increases the risk of heart disease. This study shows that childhood obesity can be serious and pediatricians should take steps to curb growing obesity among kids.

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