Obese children have a far higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack when they grow up than peers who have a normal weight, according to new research.
Children who are dangerously overweight may already have a 30%-40% higher chance of either suffering a stroke or developing heart disease in later life, Oxford University researchers found. They end up with a range of risk factors for either disease, such as a thickening of the heart muscle known as left ventricular mass, which is often a sign of emerging heart disease.
"Weight, and especially obesity, has a significant effect on the risk parameters for cardiovascular disease that are present in children from age five years", say the six academics in a paper published online in the British Medical Journal. "This effect could give them a head start on their normal and even overweight classmates for future cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke", they conclude.
The findings are the latest graphic illustration of the medical problems associated with the sharp rise in childhood obesity in recent years. They prompted calls for GPs and practice nurses to measure children's Body Mass Index (BMI) levels so that those who are worryingly heavy can be helped.
Boris Johnson, London's Conservative mayor, has responded to rising concern about obesity by sending his chief of staff to New York to study groundbreaking measures his counterpart, Michael Bloomberg, has implemented. These include compelling the publication of a calorie-count for restaurant meals and banning super-sized fizzy drinks.
It is already known that obese adults are more likely to have a stroke or heart attack. The Oxford researchers sought to measure the extent of the same association for children with a BMI of at least 30. They analysed 63 previous studies published between 2000 and 2011, which examined key health indicators among 49,220 children aged between five and 15 in a number of highly developed countries.
They found that both obese and overweight children had "significantly higher" blood pressure and cholesterol levels than classmates who were of a healthy weight, especially those whose BMI was 30 or more.
Obese pupils also had much higher fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance, which often indicate diabetes, which is closely associated with obesity.
"Having a body mass index outside the normal range significantly worsens risk parameters for cardiovascular disease in school-aged children. This effect, already substantial in overweight children, increases in obesity and could be large than previously thought", say the authors, who include Matthew Thompson, a GP.
The Department of Health acknowledged that "England has some of the highest levels of obesity in Europe. To turn this around we need action at every level", said a spokeswoman, who said the government's Change4Life campaign and public health Responsibility Deal with big food firms was having an impact.
