Note from Connie: Obese children with metabolic syndrome are 14.5 times as likely to develop heart disease in their 30s and 40s than children who don’t suffer from this condition, according to a new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics.
Jennifer Moore tells us about this study, which presents some absolutely frightening predictions. Just think: Today’s overweight kids may be stricken as early as their 30s with potentially fatal heart disease.
Although this research presents some scary scenarios, as Connie pointed out, it also offers some hopeful news.
That’s because the study — from John Morrison,Ph.D., of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center — examined the data of 771 people over a period of 25 years, beginning when they were ages 6 to 19. In that time, whenever a person’s body mass index fell — that is, whenever he or she lost weight — the risk of developing metabolic syndrome went down.
“Pediatric weight is not destiny,” Morrison said. “If you’re obese as a child, you can do something to lose the pounds. And you must do something to lose the pounds, if you want to reduce risk.”
Thanks to Health Day reporter Alan Mozes for alerting us to this research.
Jennifer Moore for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog