Childhood Obesity: The Shape of Things to Come Part Two of Four

by | Oct 18, 2011 | Childhood Obesity, Eating Naturally, Natural weight loss, Naturopathic health

Cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, fatty liver disease, acid reflux – these diseases plague the adults in the U.S. Now they are being seen in our children. In Part 2 of our four part series on childhood obesity, we will look at the physical consequences of childhood obesity and what it means for their future.

A Very Large Problem

Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in this country and around the world. In the U.S., federal statistics estimate that 9 million adolescents (17% of the population) are obese and 1 in 3 kids are either overweight or obese. Even more startling is that the rate of childhood obesity is growing at a staggering rate, having gone up 300% since 1970. What does this mean? It means that our current generation of kids are the sickest they’ve been in recent history. However, unlike epidemics of the past, most of what plagues today’s youth has everything to do with what they eat and what they do (or more likely, don’t do), and it’s a big problem.

What used to be considered diseases of aging are now becoming diseases of overconsumption. Recent statistics are shining a bright light on this growing problem:

  • 70% of obese children are now exhibiting at least one symptom of cardiovascular disease and 39% had two or more1; this includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.
  • Approximately 20-30% of obese children between the ages of 5-11 years old have elevated blood pressure.7
  • Obese children as young as 2 years old are showing signs of metabolic syndrome, which is a condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.2
  • Obese children have increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.3 In fact, children as young as 5 years old have been found to be insulin-resistant.2
  • Fatty liver disease (which was unheard of in children before the 1980s) occurs in about 33% of obese children.4
  • Obese girls often experience menstrual irregularities, including early puberty (many before the age of 10 years old), absence of menses and polycystic ovarian syndrome.6

And the list goes on and on – sleep apnea, asthma, joint and muscle pain, gallstones, acid reflux – and these are what they experience as children. Our kids are suffering diseases and disorders that many adults never have to face. The worst part is, without significant changes, things are only going to get worse.

The Shape of Things to come

If our kids are already experiencing all these health conditions, what hope do they have for the future? Unfortunately, research is showing us more of the same. Part of this is due to the fact that 80% of overweight adolescents grow up to be obese adults.5 This doesn’t bode well for their health:

  • Obese and overweight kids are 8.5-10 times as likely to develop high blood pressure as young adults than non-obese children.6
  • Overweight kids are 3 times as likely as non-obese children to have high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and 8 times as likely to have low HDL (“good”) cholesterol by the time they are 30 years old.6 This puts them at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Obese girls are significantly more likely to have severe menstrual problems and fertility issues as they age. If they do become pregnant, they are also more likely to develop gestational hypertension.6
  • Obese children are more than twice as likely to die prematurely, before the age of 55, than their lean counterparts.9

Overall, what this means is that being overweight or obese in early adolescence puts children at risk for adult-onset cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and many other health complications well before they become teenagers.8 In addition, obese children are much more likely to die young, and die due to complications due directly to being overweight or obese most or all of their lives.

Changing Shape

Research has shown that childhood obesity will have devastating effects, not only for our children’s health, but to an already overburdened healthcare system that will have to deal with an ever increasing number of obesity-related illnesses. However, research also shows that the negative effects of obesity can be largely overcome by incorporating healthier eating habits and exercise into a child’s lifestyle. Part 4 of this series will show you exactly what this means and how to do it. But first, Part 3 of this series will review the social, mental and psychological consequence of the childhood obesity epidemic.

References

  1. Freedman DS, Mei Z, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS, Dietz WH. Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents: the Bagalusa Heart Study. J Pediatr. 2007;150(1):12-17.
  2. http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/14/2359304/overweight-2-year-olds-showing.html
  3. Whitlock EP, Williams SB, Gold R, Smith PR, Shipman SA. Screening and interventions for childhood overweight: a summary of evidence for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Pediatrics. 2005;116(1):e125—144.
  4. Ebbeling CB, Pawlak DB, Ludwig DS. Childhood obesity: public health crisis, common sense cure. Lancet 2002;360:473-82.
  6. Must A, Strauss RS. Risks and consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity. International Journal of Obesity (1999) 23, Suppl 2, S2-S11.
  7. Figueroa-Colon R, Franklin FA, Lee JY, Aldreidge R, Alexander L. Prevalence of obesity with increased blood pressure in elementary school-aged children. South Med J 1997; 90:806-813.
  8. Messiah SE, Arheart KL, Luke B, Lipshultz SE, Miller TL. Relationship between Body Mass Index and Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors among US 8- to 14-year-olds, 1999 to 2002. The Journal of Pediatrics , August 2008, Volume 153, Issue 2,pp. 215-221.
  9. Franks PW, Hanson RL, Knowler WC, Sievers ML, Bennett PH, Looker HC. Childhood obesity, other cardiovascular risk factors, and premature death. N Engl J Med 2010; 362:485-493.