Children as young as five are displaying signs of ill health which could lead to stroke and other cardiovascular disorders later in life.
The research showed that children who are obese or overweight already have increased blood pressure and a high cholesterol reading which can increase their chances of having a stroke or heart attack by up to 40 per cent, a figure which experts say is deeply worrying.
When conducting the study, scientists compared 63 surveys, which involved 49,220 children between the ages of 5 and fifteen years old.
Lee Hudson and Russell Viner from UCL Institute of Child Health in London said the research “provides a stark illustration of the probable threat that childhood obesity poses to disease burden in the population.”
Overweight and Obese Children are 40 per cent more likely to have a stroke
Almost a third of children are overweight or obese, according to the study.
Dr. Carl Heneghan from the University of Oxford told The Irish Independent: “The relationship between obesity in children and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure was much greater than we anticipated.
“The magnitude of the effect of obesity upon increasing cardiovascular risk in children is deeply worrying in terms of their future risks of heart disease.
“Obesity is one of today’s most visible, yet highly preventable health problems. The good news is these risk factors can readily be reversed with exercise, good diet, and maintaining a health a weight.
“Based on what we have found policymakers should make the epidemic of obesity in children as a priority for urgent public health action.”
Dr. Matthew Thompson of Oxford University said that adults need to take control of childhood obesity by following in the footsteps of American cities like New York, which is trying to ban supersize fast food and soft drinks from being sold in the state.
“Being overweight as a child is more than just about appearance – many children’s hearts and blood vessels are already getting damaged when they are overweight or obese.
“Young people, their parents and doctors, and our politicians are in this together – we need to find better ways that we can put a stop to the obesity epidemic. New York’s banning of oversized sodas is exactly the type of public health intervention we need at this point.
“Knowing that your heart and blood vessels are already damaged by being overweight or obese might help children and their parents put changes in place to change eating and lifestyle habits.”
