Wrist Size in Obese Kids may be Indicator of Future Heart Risk

Italian researchers are reporting that the wrist size in overweight and obese children can be a reliable predictor of their future heart disease risk. The study involved 477 overweight or obese youngsters with an average age of 10 years. The researchers measured wrist circumference and used nuclear imaging technique to measure fatty and bony areas of the wrist in 50 of these kids. Additionally, insulin levels and amount of insulin resistance were also recorded via blood tests.

Wrist circumference was found to be correlated to the level of insulin resistance, which is a predictor of heart risk. "This is the first evidence that wrist circumference is highly correlated to evidence of insulin resistance," senior author Dr. Raffaella Buzzetti, of Sapienza University of Rome, said in a released statement.

Dr Buzzetti added that wrist circumference could someday be used to predict insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk. The details of the study appear in the journal Circulation.


Source-Medindia