Obesity in adolescence is very risky
80
views
The problem of obesity associated with sedentary lifestyles and junk food has skyrocketed. When this problem arises during adolescence it can have tragic consequences.
It has been reported by The Endocrine Society that there is a link between adolescent obesity and early mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. There has been a great deal of evidence that being overweight and obese in adolescence is associated with coronary heart disease and stroke.
A new study from Israel done over 45 years now shows that higher than normal BMI and even BMI within what has been the accepted range of normalcy may be associated with an increased risk of death in mid-life from non-coronary non-stroke cardiovascular diseases. These diseases include hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, fatal arrhythmia, heart failure, arterial disease and pulmonary embolism.
loading...
In industrialized nations obesity has become the most common nutritional disorder. This has been associated with higher mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease. In this study there was a focus on adolescent BMI and death from cardiovascular diseases besides CHD and stroke. Gilad Twig, M.D., Ph.D. of the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces said that the findings from this study show adolescents who had BMI values which were well within the presently accepted normal range may still be at risk in the future from cardiovascular diseases.
There was a firm association found between being overweight and obese and increased risk for all study outcomes. It was also observed that adolescents who were at the high normal end for BMI had more of a risk than those who were at the low normal end. According to this data the optimal BMI for 17 year olds is at the low range of normal.
This study has been published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. It has been observed that there has been an increase in cardiovascular mortality from non-CHD causes. Israeli researchers have found there is an association with non-CHD non-stroke cardiovascular outcomes and adolescent BMI which is within the presently accepted normal range. It appears considerations of what has been established as a healthy range for BMI in adolescence may have to be re-evaluated.
Loading...