Obese Youth At Increased Risk Of Cardiovascular Issues

Statistics show that childhood obesity has doubled in children and nearly quadrupled in adolescents within the past 30 years. Of course, with extra weight comes an increased risk for certain health issues, including type 2 diabetes and various cardiovascular issues.

Now, recent findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology show that many of these children are also at a seriously increased risk of heart problems.

"Children are ideal subjects to observe the effect of obesity on the heart," said lead study author Norman Mangner, M.D., of the Heart Center Leipzig, in a news release. "This is because they are likely free of clinically relevant cardiovascular disease adults may suffer from."

Researchers from the University of Leipzig Heart Center in Germany used a two-dimensional echocardiography to closely examine any physical and functional signs of heart problems in 101 adolescents--some of whom were obese.

Findings revealed that obese children's hearts had specific changes in shape and function that were not noticeable in the hearts of the obese children, while obese children also had a reduction in the diastolic function, enlarged heart chambers signs of increased cardiac workload and other unfavorable conditions.

In addition, obese children had higher blood pressure, higher levels of low-density lipoprotein, known as "bad" cholesterol and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol.