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Study Shows Obesity Poses Health Risks at Early Age
New research from a nationwide survey suggests that health problems stemming from childhood obesity may begin in children as young as age 3, the Miami Herald reports. To assess the negative health effects of childhood obesity, researchers from the University of Miami examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on over 3,000 children ages 3 to 6. The researchers examined children's waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol levels and inflammation of the arteries. According to the researchers, children with high BMIs and large waist circumferences were more likely to have lower levels of HDL , or “good†cholesterol , and elevated C-reactive protein, which can be an early indicator of heart disease and diabetes. According to the Herald, the survey “sharply lowers the age at which problems†stemming from childhood obesity have been detected. Calling the results important, the chairman of pediatric nutrition at the Children’s Hospital at the University of Colorado in Denver says the study suggests that obesity is “having an immediate effect on the health of those children.†(Tasker, Miami Herald, 3/11/09; Thomas, HealthDay News, 3/11/09).