Obese kids have major heart risks

[Posted: Tue 24/07/2012 www.irishhealth.com]

Two out of three severely obese children have at least one risk factor for developing heart disease, new research has indicated.

Researchers from the Netherlands studied 307 severely obese children aged two to 18.

They found high blood pressure, cholesterol, and high fasting blood glucose even in the under-12s studied.

Just over half of the 307 children studied were male, who tended to be more severely obese at at a younger age, while the reverse was the case with girls.

Two out of three had at least one cardiovascular risk factor while over half had high blood pressure. A similar amount had high levels of 'bad' cholesterol while 14% had high fasting blood glucose.

The researchers found that around 62% of those aged 12 and under had one or more cardiovascular risk factors.

The researchers said the the level of impaired fasting glucose in the children studied was of concern, in view of rising rates worldwide in type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents.

"Likewise, the high prevalence of hypertension and abnormal lipids may lead to cardiovascular disease in young adulthood," the researchers added.

This study was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.