Many parents are now concerned over their overweight children and asked the question whether their children will also become obese adults. In America, about 18% of children are overweight. Medical studies have not yet proven the health risks of overweight children, but have considerably shown that obese children grow up to become obese adults. The percentage is higher if children are obese in their later years that those overweight in their first or earlier years.
Obese children usually become sick adults
In the study called Bogalusa Heart Study, results revealed that more than 60% of obese children grew up to be obese adults. The Bogalusa Heart Study started in the 1970’s in a small town called Bogalusa in New Orleans. The study examined everything in the children that has something to do with adult heart disorders. This study revealed that obesity in childhood leads to feeble health in adult life.
Arteries start to harden during childhood
When some older adolescent from the study died of various causes, an autopsy was conducted for the purpose of the Bogalusa Heart Study and found out that their aorta and other arteries that supply blood to and from the heart contain high level of fats. This part of the study suggests that obese children start to develop atherosclerosis, commonly called the “hardening” of the arteries.
No conclusions yet
The children under the Bogalusa Heart Study are still not old enough for the study to conclude that being overweight as a child would increase the risk of having a cardiovascular disease as an adult. Some of these children are still in their mid-forties. Similar studies were conducted around the world, and the results particularly from the studies in England contradicted with others. Some studies revealed a significant increase of the probability of cardiovascular diseases for obese children in their adult life, and some studies showed a little of risk of the disease. Some studies also showed increase in mortality rate.
Limitations
One limitation of this study is the fact that the present average weight of children differs from that of the last generation. The children who were considered of normal weight at the beginning of the study are now considered thin by today’s trend. So, children who were considered overweight at the start of the study may not be overweight today.
This limitation poses the difficulty of making conclusions that overweight children have higher risks of cardiovascular diseases when they become adults. But studies only tell us that obesity on children persists until adulthood.
Ace Smith is a prolific writer touching base on topics like Technology, Travel, Health and others. For more information you can drop by his web sites that deals with: Credit & Finance , Africa and Jewelry.
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