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OBESITY IN CHILDHOOD AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
Author(s) -
Burke Valerie
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2006.04449.x
Subject(s) - obesity , medicine , childhood obesity , overweight
SUMMARY1 Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide and is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. 2 In children, obesity is associated with hypertension, impaired vascular function, dyslipidaemia, atheroma, the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Greater risk is associated with clustering of risk factors. 3 Obesity tracks from childhood to adult life and predicts adverse levels of risk and an increase in cardiovascular end‐points. 4 Adults who were obese as children have higher rates of obesity and its sequelae: greater intima–media thickness, left ventricular hypertrophy and atherosclerosis. There is greater all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality, as well as a greater risk of stroke, in long‐term follow‐up of obese children. 5 Genetic and environmental factors contribute to familial aggregation of obesity, with parental obesity as a strong predictor of obesity in children. However, clustering of adverse health‐related behaviours is seen in such families. 6 Adverse behaviours (smoking, poor dietary choices, less physical activity and greater alcohol intake) also cluster in individuals, suggesting the need for multimodal interventions. 7 Recognition of families at risk offers opportunities for prevention of obesity in children and decreasing risk in parents.