Obese kids having cholesterol levels of 50-year-olds
March 23rd, 2011 - 3:52 pm ICT by IANSLondon, March 23 (IANS) Overweight kids are developing cholesterol levels usually found in 50-year-olds.
Experts from Great Ormond Street Hospital said obese children as young as eight were also being referred to them with dangerously high blood pressure (BP).
These children are at risk of early heart diseases or strokes but doctors warn they are less likely to respond to drugs such as statins, which had been developed for adults.
They added that these children risk long-term damage to their heart and arteries even if their diet improves in later life, the Daily Mail reports.
Medical researcher Lee Hudson from Ormond said: “What we’re finding is metabolic syndrome (high BP) and early diabetes - things you would find in a 40-year-old.”
“We’re seeing 13-year-olds with a lipid (cholesterol) profile you would find in a 50-year-old, and eight-nine-year-olds with high blood pressure. It means big trouble,” he said.
The proportion of children aged two to 10 who are overweight or obese has increased from 22.7 percent to 27.7 percent in England between 1995 and 2004.
Doctors said parents who fail to educate their children about portion sizes and feed them high-fat instant meals are partly to blame.
- Nearly 25 percent UK kids are obese by age 4 - Dec 26, 2010
- A quarter of Brit kids are overweight or obese by the age of 5 - Dec 16, 2010
- Statin can prevent strokes, besides lowering lipids - Jan 05, 2012
- Exercise can undo effects of maternal obesity - Feb 10, 2012
- Sleep regulating hormone can help shed flab - Apr 29, 2011
- Cholesterol busting drugs might be bad for you - Dec 21, 2010
- Potato diet cuts blood pressure, causes no weight gain - Sep 01, 2011
- Obese kids show signs of middle-aged heart disease - Oct 27, 2010
- Overweight adolescents may develop weak bones - Mar 06, 2011
- Birch bark ingredient has an array of metabolic benefits - Jan 05, 2011
- 'Statins prevent cancer in heart transplant patients' - May 20, 2012
- Three-pill combo for high BP launched - Nov 22, 2011
- Obese kids aged 12 showing early signs of heart disease: EU study - Sep 01, 2009
- Even a little reduction in BMI helps lower BP in overweight kids - Oct 16, 2010
- 13-year-olds showing signs of middle-aged obesity - Oct 25, 2010
Tags: 13 year olds, arteries, big trouble, cholesterol, cholesterol levels, cholesterol profile, daily mail, great ormond street, great ormond street hospital, heart diseases, high blood pressure, lipid, london march, medical researcher, metabolic syndrome, obese children, obese kids, overweight kids, portion sizes, statins