Significant Proportion Of Obese Children Show Signs Of Cardiovascular Disease

A study based on data provided by Dutch pediatricians over three years finds that 67 percent of children with a body mass index associated with obesity had at least one symptom of cardiovascular disease. Fifty-six percent had high blood pressure; 54 percent had high levels of low density “bad” cholesterol; 14 percent had high fasting blood glucose; and one percent already had type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that there is an urgent need for internationally accepted criteria for defining severe obesity as well as “guidelines for early detection and treatment of severe obesity and [underlying ill health].”