Obese children threatened by heart disease

Obese children are at higher health risks than previously thought

26/09/2012

Overweight and obesity are a greater health risk for children than previously thought. The research team around Claire Friedmann from the University of Oxford has in the trade magazine „British Medical Journal“ (BMJ) published the results of a meta-study investigating possible associations between existing overweight and cardiovascular disease (heart disease) in children.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in modern industrialized countries. The main causes are called unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. Although recent studies in Germany have seen a slight decrease in the proportion of overweight children, in Italy, for example, more than 40 percent of those aged between 2 and 10 are now overweight or obese. Greece, Spain and Portugal are other European countries with a particularly large number of overweight children. Although the consequences for the health of the affected children have already been discussed many times, according to the current meta-study by Claire Friedmann, the threatening damage to health appears to be much more far-reaching than previously thought. Early on, typical risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases appear.

Increased blood pressure in overweight children
As part of its metastatic study, Oxford University's research team has evaluated 63 previous studies involving a total of 49,220 children. The age of study participants between five and 15 years. All studies considered emerged in the years after 1990 and included at least one risk factor for diseases of the cardiovascular system in addition to body weight. The researchers note that a high body mass index (BMI) has a significant impact on the risk factors of cardiovascular disease. For example, obese children showed an increase in systolic blood pressure of 4.54 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). In the obese (adipose) children, the average increase in systolic blood pressure was as much as 7.49 mm Hg compared to normal weight.

Fat children with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
The cholesterol levels and the concentration of triglycerides were also significantly higher in overweight children than in normal weight persons. For cholesterol, an average increase of 0.15 millimoles per liter (mmol / L) for triglycerides was 0.26 millimoles per liter. Obese children also experienced increased insulin resistance as an indication of increased diabetes risk. However, the researchers found this connection only in the case of obese, not overweight, children. Friedemann and colleagues conclude that „with a body mass index outside the normal range markedly worsens risk parameters for school-age cardiovascular disease“ accompanied. In particular, obesity has a significant impact on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in children under the age of five, the researchers write in the latest BMJ article.

Epidemic of obesity in children?
The health consequences of being overweight could therefore be significantly higher than previously thought, especially if the risk factors persist for years to come. For example, the risk of suffering a stroke or heart disease in adulthood by the permanent overweight by 30 to 40 percent compared to people with normal weight, the researchers at the University of Oxford report. In a commentary to the article by Claire Friedemann, Lee Hudson and Russel Viner of University College London (UCL) write that the current study makes a significant contribution to understanding the health implications of „Epidemic of obesity in children“ in modern industrialized countries. The results are „disconcerting“, however, it remains to be seen what long-term consequences the current generation of obese children and adolescents will actually experience.

Obesity in childhood causes organic changes
Hudson and Viner were particularly critical of the organic changes observed in the current study in obese children. Here Friedemann and colleagues in the obese children an increase in the left ventricular mass (enlargement of the left ventricle) was found, as is usually seen only in older people with chronic hypertension. In general, the difference in the current study is that it covers the immediate effects of childhood overweight, whereas most previous scientific studies focused more on the consequences of being overweight later in life. The meta-study of the research team around Claire Friedemann offers a „stark representation of the probable threat, obesity in children“ brings with it, so Viner and Hudson on. However, the question remains as to whether the health risks of obesity increase linearly with age or increase significantly above a certain age limit. If such a limit could be determined, it could serve as an indication of the age from which something urgently needs to be done to prevent being overweight. (Fp)

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Image: Thommy Weiss