Mr. Goodfat
2010-02-15 21:13:10 UTC
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100210/obese-children-twice-as-
likely-to-die-young
Feb. 10, 2010 -- Childhood obesity more than doubles the risk of dying
before age 55, according to a new long-term study that followed nearly
5,000 children.
''The bottom line is, obesity in kids is a serious problem that needs to
be taken seriously," study co-author William C. Knowler, MD, DrPH, tells
WebMD. Although experts have known that for years, he says, the new
research is definite confirmation.
"What this particular study shows is, obesity is going to cause excess
premature death," says Knowler, chief of the Diabetes Epidemiology and
Clinical Research Section of the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Although recent data suggest a leveling off of obesity in the U.S., one in
six teens is obese.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Obesity in Childhood, Early Death Linked
Knowler and his colleagues evaluated 4,857 American Indian children who
were born between 1945 and 1984, then followed them long-term. Most
participants were at least half Pima or Tohono O'odham Indian. They lived
in the area of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.
The researchers gathered data about the children's body mass index (BMI),
glucose tolerance, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. None of the
children had diabetes at the beginning of the study, although 559
developed it during the study.
During a median follow-up period of nearly 24 years (half followed longer,
half less), there were 166 deaths from natural causes before age 55. There
were 393 deaths from external causes, such as accidents or homicide,
before 55.
The researchers divided the participants into four groups, or quartiles,
depending on their BMI. In all, 28.7% of the children were obese,
according to their BMI.
Higher BMI, Higher Premature Death Risk
The researchers compared the risk of early death for those in the four BMI
quartiles. "Those in the top quartile had over twice the rate of death
from natural causes before age 55 as those in the lowest quartile of BMI,"
Knowler says.
Among these natural causes of death were alcoholic liver disease,
cardiovascular disease, infections, cancer, diabetes, acute alcohol
poisoning, and drug overdose.
''Obesity was not related to external causes of death, such as auto
accidents," Knowler says.
Other Risk Factors and Premature Death
Knowler's team also evaluated whether glucose levels, cholesterol levels,
or blood pressure during childhood boosted risk of premature death.
Death rates from natural causes among children in the highest group of
glucose intolerance (a risk factor for developing diabetes) were 73%
higher than among the children in the lowest group of glucose intolerance,
the researchers found.
No substantial links were found between cholesterol levels and premature
deaths. They did find that high blood pressure in childhood raised the
risk of premature death from natural causes by about 1.5 times.
"Obesity was a stronger predictor of premature death than either abnormal
glucose, cholesterol, or blood pressure," Knowler tells WebMD.
Childhood Obesity and Risk of Death: Other Opinions
The new study is timely and important, says Marc Jacobson, MD, a Great
Neck, N.Y., pediatrician who specializes in caring for children with
obesity and cholesterol problems. "It gives us more hard data about the
long-term effects of adolescent obesity," he says.
Jacobson serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics' Obesity Leadership
Workgroup. The Academy recommends that BMI be measured in all children and
that those with a BMI above the 85th percentile be helped to get it below
the 85th percentile, which is considered a healthy weight, he says.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a tool parents can use called 5210,
Jacobson says. "It's used to prevent childhood obesity." It stands for:
5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
2 hours or less of television viewing daily
1 hour of exercise daily
0 or nearly zero sugar-sweetened beverages daily
In an editorial accompanying the new study, Edward W. Gregg, PhD, of the
DC, notes that the Pima Indians studied in the research are sometimes
viewed as not representative of the U.S. population because their risk of
diabetes is especially high.
But, he points out that 4% of the participants in the study had impaired
glucose tolerance, a percentage similar to the 3% of U.S. teens overall
who have the condition. And the condition affects 9.5% of obese teens, he
says.
likely-to-die-young
Feb. 10, 2010 -- Childhood obesity more than doubles the risk of dying
before age 55, according to a new long-term study that followed nearly
5,000 children.
''The bottom line is, obesity in kids is a serious problem that needs to
be taken seriously," study co-author William C. Knowler, MD, DrPH, tells
WebMD. Although experts have known that for years, he says, the new
research is definite confirmation.
"What this particular study shows is, obesity is going to cause excess
premature death," says Knowler, chief of the Diabetes Epidemiology and
Clinical Research Section of the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Although recent data suggest a leveling off of obesity in the U.S., one in
six teens is obese.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Obesity in Childhood, Early Death Linked
Knowler and his colleagues evaluated 4,857 American Indian children who
were born between 1945 and 1984, then followed them long-term. Most
participants were at least half Pima or Tohono O'odham Indian. They lived
in the area of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.
The researchers gathered data about the children's body mass index (BMI),
glucose tolerance, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. None of the
children had diabetes at the beginning of the study, although 559
developed it during the study.
During a median follow-up period of nearly 24 years (half followed longer,
half less), there were 166 deaths from natural causes before age 55. There
were 393 deaths from external causes, such as accidents or homicide,
before 55.
The researchers divided the participants into four groups, or quartiles,
depending on their BMI. In all, 28.7% of the children were obese,
according to their BMI.
Higher BMI, Higher Premature Death Risk
The researchers compared the risk of early death for those in the four BMI
quartiles. "Those in the top quartile had over twice the rate of death
from natural causes before age 55 as those in the lowest quartile of BMI,"
Knowler says.
Among these natural causes of death were alcoholic liver disease,
cardiovascular disease, infections, cancer, diabetes, acute alcohol
poisoning, and drug overdose.
''Obesity was not related to external causes of death, such as auto
accidents," Knowler says.
Other Risk Factors and Premature Death
Knowler's team also evaluated whether glucose levels, cholesterol levels,
or blood pressure during childhood boosted risk of premature death.
Death rates from natural causes among children in the highest group of
glucose intolerance (a risk factor for developing diabetes) were 73%
higher than among the children in the lowest group of glucose intolerance,
the researchers found.
No substantial links were found between cholesterol levels and premature
deaths. They did find that high blood pressure in childhood raised the
risk of premature death from natural causes by about 1.5 times.
"Obesity was a stronger predictor of premature death than either abnormal
glucose, cholesterol, or blood pressure," Knowler tells WebMD.
Childhood Obesity and Risk of Death: Other Opinions
The new study is timely and important, says Marc Jacobson, MD, a Great
Neck, N.Y., pediatrician who specializes in caring for children with
obesity and cholesterol problems. "It gives us more hard data about the
long-term effects of adolescent obesity," he says.
Jacobson serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics' Obesity Leadership
Workgroup. The Academy recommends that BMI be measured in all children and
that those with a BMI above the 85th percentile be helped to get it below
the 85th percentile, which is considered a healthy weight, he says.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a tool parents can use called 5210,
Jacobson says. "It's used to prevent childhood obesity." It stands for:
5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
2 hours or less of television viewing daily
1 hour of exercise daily
0 or nearly zero sugar-sweetened beverages daily
In an editorial accompanying the new study, Edward W. Gregg, PhD, of the
DC, notes that the Pima Indians studied in the research are sometimes
viewed as not representative of the U.S. population because their risk of
diabetes is especially high.
But, he points out that 4% of the participants in the study had impaired
glucose tolerance, a percentage similar to the 3% of U.S. teens overall
who have the condition. And the condition affects 9.5% of obese teens, he
says.