Two out of three very obese kids already have heart disease risk factors: High blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose evident even in under-12s

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) — Two out of three severely obese kids already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, suggests research published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

See Also:Health & MedicineHeart DiseaseObesityHypertensionCholesterolChildren's HealthDiet and Weight LossReferenceDiabetes mellitus type 2Body mass indexAdipose tissueLow density lipoprotein

The prevalence and severity of childhood obesity has been rising worldwide, but little research has been carried out on the underlying health problems that children with severe weight problems have, say the authors.

They base their findings on data supplied by pediatricians to the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance Unit between 2005 and 2007.

During this period, doctors treating all new cases of severe obesity in children from the ages of 2 to 18 across The Netherlands were asked to supply information on their patients' cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels, and blood fats (lipids).

The definition of severe obesity started at a body mass index (BMI) of 20.5 for a 2 year old, at 31 for a 12 year old, and at 35 for an 18 year old.

Over the three years, most (87% to 94%) of pediatricians submitted their monthly findings on every severely obese child they treated to the surveillance unit, providing information on 500 children in all.

When pediatricians were contacted again, with a request for further data, 363 responded and 307 of their children were correctly classified as severely obese.

Just over half (52%) of these 307 children were boys. They tended to be more severely obese at the younger end of the age spectrum; the reverse was true of girls. Full information on cardiovascular risk factors was available for 255 (83%).

Two out of three (67%) had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Over half (56%) had high blood pressure; a similar proportion (54%) had high levels of low density 'bad' cholesterol; one in seven (14%) had high fasting blood glucose; and just under 1 per cent already had type 2 diabetes.

And "remarkably" say the authors, almost two thirds (62%) of those aged 12 and under had one or more cardiovascular risk factors. Only one child's obesity was attributable to medical rather than lifestyle factors.

Nearly one in three severely obese children came from one parent families.

"The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in

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Obese Teens Already Have Heart Damage

Sobering news was presented at the annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology: Obese teens, without any signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease, were found to have significant structural and functional damage to their hearts.

The researchers found that as the BMI Body Mass Index. BMI is a statistical measurement of body weight based on the person's height and weight. It does not actually measure the body fat percentage but provides an estimation of a healthy body weight. Normal BMI for adults ranges from 18.5-24.9 increased in these teens so did the thickness of the arteries of the heart.  Increased structural thickness correlated with decreased left ventricular velocity, indicating that the structural heart problems were impairing healthy heart function.

This study is a bit of a shocker as it shows adverse changes to the heart prior to the onset of a cardiovascular risk profile.  This means that parents could think their obese child is simply overweight but not in any real trouble that needs attention.

This study implies that diligent efforts to help overweight children lose weight must be a priority.  Obesity will drastically impair the health of young people, at ever-earlier ages.  Twenty years ago type 2 diabetes was virtually non existent in teens.  Now it is common.

The fact that obesity in teens is correlated with heart damage is a major wake-up call.  If nothing is done we will have a generation of citizens who have health debilitating heart disease in their 30’s. 

There are plenty of BMI Body Mass Index. BMI is a statistical measurement of body weight based on the person's height and weight. It does not actually measure the body fat percentage but provides an estimation of a healthy body weight. Normal BMI for adults ranges from 18.5-24.9 calculators on the WEB.  Another easy and highly accurate test is to measure the waistline and compare the measurement to height.  Waistline circumference in inches times two should never be more than height in inches; this measurement is appropriate for children and teens.  Once this line is crossed we know that cardiovascular disease processes have been set in motion, regardless of age.  Unfortunately, we now know that such processes include heart damage.  Such damage is reversible over time, but only if weight is lost.

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