Obese children more likely to have heart disease as adults

Obese children and teenagers are more at risk of having heart disease or stroke later in life, research suggests.

Oxford University researchers warned that obese children could have a 30-40% greater risk of having a stroke or heart disease in the future as many already have risk factors for the disease such as raised blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), comes as New York City passes a ban on large-size sugary drinks to help tackle obesity and related health problems in the US. MPs are now calling on the government to introduce similar legislation in the UK.

Being overweight in adulthood is a well-known risk factor for heart disease in adults, but the effect of obesity on children is less well understood, the researchers said. The Oxford team reviewed the results of 63 studies published between 2000 and 2011 involving 49,220 healthy children aged between five and 15 years old. The studies measured weight and one or more known cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

Overweight was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30, while a BMI greater than 30 was defined as obese. Obese children had "significantly higher" blood pressure and cholesterol levels than children of a normal weight. They also had significantly higher fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance, known markers for diabetes.

In 2010/11, around a third of children in year six of primary school were either overweight or obese, figures from the National Child Measurement Programme in England show. Dr Carl Heneghan, reader in evidence-based medicine at the university and a study co-author said: "The relationship between obesity in children and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure was much greater than we anticipated.

"The magnitude of the effect of obesity upon increasing cardiovascular risk in children is deeply worrying in terms of their future risks of heart disease. "Obesity is one of today’s most visible, yet highly preventable health problems. The good news is these risk factors can readily be reversed with exercise, good diet, and maintaining a health a weight. Based on what we have found policy makers should make the epidemic of obesity in children as a priority for urgent public health action."

Dr Matthew Thompson, a reader in primary health care at the university added: "Being overweight as a child is more than just about appearance – many children's hearts and blood vessels are already getting damaged when they are overweight or obese. "Young people, their parents and doctors, and our politicians are in this together – we need to find better ways that we can put a stop to the obesity epidemic. New York's banning of oversized sodas is exactly the type of public health intervention we need at this point.

"Knowing that your heart and blood vessels are already damaged by being overweight or obese might help children and their parents put changes in place to change eating and lifestyle habits."

Yahoo Lifestyle