Even preschoolers may have high blood pressure from overweight

At the age of four, 1796 children were examined at the age of six under the leadership of Inaki Galán, scientists at the Autonomous University of Madrid, published in a recent issue of the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

"Few pediatricians believe that the consequences of overweight and obesity are occurring at an early age, but our study shows that they are wrong. Their opinion hampers the prevention and management of the problem, ”the European Cardiology Society publishing the journal said in a statement.

Galán and her colleagues participated in a childhood obesity study involving children living in the Madrid region. They measured their height at four years, matched their genders, their mother's living conditions, and some other factors. 32 pediatricians measured their weight, abdominal circumference and blood pressure. The test was repeated two years later.

The analysis of the data showed, inter alia, that a child who was overweight or obese at four and six years of age had two or three times more likely to have high blood pressure than his normal weight peers.

However, children who were overweight at the age of four years had normal weight at six years of age, had similar blood pressure as those who had average body weight at both ages.

Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease - wrote Eero Haapala , a researcher at the Finnish University of Jyväskylä, in his commentary on the study. The first two councils are also important for the child.

Martin Hulpke-Wette , head of a Göttingen Children's and Youth Cardiology Prevention Clinic, considers the results of the study to be very important;

In his view, urgent political intervention would be needed: many foods, especially those specifically intended for children, contain too much sugar, and the majority do not know.

"I have to provide nutrition counseling to all patients," Hulpke-Wette said, adding that type 2 diabetes is mostly caused by inappropriate nutrition.

(Source: marmalade.co.uk; hirado.com | Image: pixabay.com)