“The news about obese children keeps getting worse. According to U.S. and Italian researchers, children as young as 7 already have the beginnings of artery disease. In a released study, doctors at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York; and Cava d’ Tirreni Hospital in Salerno, Italy, report signs that the carotid arteries of 100 obese children are already becoming thick and stiff, as well as indications that the children may have a higher risk of diabetes.
‘You can see vascular changes already this early in really obese children,’ said Dr. Maurizio Trevisan of the University at Buffalo, who led the study. ‘We know that obesity in childhood increases the risk of atherosclerosis and death in adulthood. It is important for parents of obese children to help their children control their weight and get early treatment for these obesity-associated risk factors.’
The children in the study also had higher blood pressure and cholesterol. For instance, the obese children had an average blood pressure of 120/76, while the normal-weight children had an average pressure of 98/65. Ultrasound scans showed the obese children had thicker and stiffer carotid arteries. The carotid arteries carry blood to the head. The study can be found in the October 2005 issue of Diabetes Care, online at http://care.diabetesjournals.org”
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