Obese children are at high-risk for heart disease because of thickened heart muscle that affects the muscle's pumping ability and could cause permanent damage.

‘Obese children who participated in the study did not show physical symptoms of heart trouble, but the damage to their hearts was found during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.’

Some of the obese children also had asthma, high blood pressure and depression. 




The children studied did not report physical symptoms of heart trouble, but the damage to their hearts was found during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
And researchers warn that heart problems in youth may lead to even more severe disease in adulthood, and a higher likelihood of dying prematurely.
"Parents should be highly motivated to help their children maintain a healthy weight," said lead author Linyuan Jing, a researcher at Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania.
"Ultimately we hope that the effects we see in the hearts of these children are reversible; however, it is possible that there could be permanent damage. This should be further motivation for parents to help children lead a healthy lifestyle."
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Children with diabetes, or who were too large to fit in the MRI machine, were excluded from the study.
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Nationwide, about one in three children aged 2-19 are considered either overweight or obese in the United States.
Finding that children as young as eight may show signs of heart disease was "alarming to us," Jing said.
"Understanding the long-term ramifications of this will be critical as we deal with the impact of the pediatric obesity epidemic."
Source-AFP