How much overweight harm children’s health?

The health effects of obesity in children are greater than previously thought. This shows a recent study by American scientists.

The research team led by Claire Friedemann examined in a comprehensive study, how the overweight in children affects on the risk of cardiovascular diseases. They analyze 63 studies with a total amount of children 49 220 in the aged from 5 to 15 years old. The researchers found, that overweight children have an increased by 30 to 40 percent risk of suffering from stroke or heart disease in adulthood.

But not only in adulthood the consequences of infant obesity appear. The results of the study mainly alarmingly, because it showed that developed worrisome in childhood pathological affect on changes in the cardiovascular system. Obese children (with BMI between 25 and 30) had a significantly higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels than normal-weight childrens. And obese children are already showing an increased risk of diabetes.

A thickened ventricle as a result of obesity.

Previous studies have focused, primarily, on the consequences of childhood obesity and on the risk of illness in old age. But now already it has been demonstrated, how much the children’s health suffer. So has been shown a thickening of the left ventricle in some of the obese children – what else, actually, can be demonstrated only in the elderly, which suffer from chronic hypertension.

“Weight, particularly obesity, has a significant impact on the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, that have children under the age of five years “, the researchers commented on the study, which was published in the “American Medical Journal”. In US it is estimated, at least, 15 percent of children are overweight and approximately 6 percent are obese; the trend is growing. About 80 percent of obese children remain thick in adulthood.