Obese Kids Have Hardened Arteries

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Obese Kids Getting Hardened Arteries

Exercise -- If Kept Up -- Can Undo Damage to Blood

Vessels By DeNoon

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

on Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Oct. 31, 2006 -- Obese 14-year-olds already have

hardening of the arteries, an early warning of heart

disease risk.

That finding comes from German researchers looking

deep into the Pandora's box of childhood

obesityobesity. The latest bad news is that by the

time they reach their teens, obese children's blood

vessels already are hardening on the outside and

thickening on the inside.

However, the study holds hope. It shows that when

obese teens undergo an aggressive, six-month exercise

program, they can undo the damage to their arteries.

They also lose weight, cut their cholesterol and blood

fat levels, and lower their blood pressure.

" Atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries --

starts during childhood in the presence of such risk

factors as obesity and sedentary lifestyle, " the

study's lead researcher, s Meyer, MD,

says in a news release.

" We think that 90 minutes of exercise, three times per

week, is the minimum children need to reduce their

[heart disease] risk, " he adds.

Swimming, Sports, and Walking

Meyer, a pediatric heart specialist at the University

of Rostock Children's Hospital in Rostock, Germany,

enrolled 96 obese boys and girls in the study.

The kids ranged in age from 11 to 16, with an average

age of 14. None got even a half hour of exercise per

week.

Compared with 35 normal-weight kids, the obese kids

showed alarming warning signs. Most dramatically,

their blood vessels were stiffening and getting

narrow.

Unless something changed, these kids were on their way

to short, unhealthy lives.

A Solution

A Solution

For six months, 50 of the obese kids were assigned to

a structured exercise program.

They did 60 minutes of swimming and water aerobics on

Mondays. They played team sports for 90 minutes on

Wednesdays. And they walked for 60 minutes on Fridays.

Under the observation of coaches and physical

therapists, the exercises intensified to the degree

individual teens could tolerate them.

Only about two-thirds of the kids made it through the

exercise program.

But those who did saw encouraging changes:

The kids' arteries became more flexible, allowing them

to carry more oxygen-rich blood throughout the body --

and making exercise easier.

The inner layer of their arteries shrank, allowing

increased blood flow and lowering the chance of plaque

buildup.

They lost weight.

They cut their high blood levels of cholesterol and

fats.

They lowered their blood pressure.

The study's findings appear in the Nov. 7 issue of the

Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The Trick: Motivating Kids

Meyer warns, however, that these benefits will

disappear if the kids don't keep up regular exercise.

Obese kids, he notes, lack motivation to exercise and

tend not to persevere once exercise becomes strenuous.

" It's important that children enjoy exercise, so we

recommend games like soccer, football, basketball, and

swimming -- especially for obese children, " Meyer

says.

Fun or not, it takes time to get obese children to

want to exercise, says Albert P. Rocchini, MD, a

pediatric heart specialist the University of

Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Rocchini was

not involved in the German study.

" We want young people to understand that now is the

time to start dealing with health issues before they

become permanent, " Rocchini says in a news release.

" But it takes time to get through to them. "

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCES: Meyer, A. Journal of the American College of

Cardiology, Nov. 7, 2006; vol 9: pp 1865-1870. News

release, American College of Cardiology.