Cardiovascular Disease as Caused by
Child Obesity

Childhood
obesity
that leads to cardiovascular disease is very common in the United
States. In fact, in the last 20 years, statistics show that obesity
levels have increased alarmingly – especially among children. Child
obesity is a growing problem that should not be taken for granted. Aside
from the physical effects, it has more serious effects; those that
affect a person’s over-all health and well-being. Some of the most
common effects of child obesity include obstructive
sleep
apnea
a weak immune system, and
diabetes.
One of the most probable end results of childhood obesity is the
development of
cardiovascular
disease
in the future. New studies prove that the risk of getting a heart
disease in the future is greater for children who have been obese or
overweight since 7 years of age. The study also found out that the risk
remains the same even when there are no signs or symptoms of other risk
factors like high blood pressure. Child obesity, according to the study,
can result to abnormalities in the blood and this can lead to a
possible heart disease in the early years of his adult life. Heart
diseases refer to any disease that relates to the blood vessels or the
heart. Examples of this kind of diseases include angina, congestive
heart failure,
atherosclerosis
, aneurysm, heart attack (or myocardial infarction), and coronary artery
disease. Numerous studies show that heart disease precursors
begin during the adolescence years and then develop or evolve over the
years. This is especially true for atherosclerosis, one of the most
common cardiovascular diseases, since it can begin during a person’s
childhood years. The risk of development is more pronounced in a person
suffering from child obesity. For one to effectively put a stop to the
development of the disease, one must work on its prevention early on in
life. One of the preventive measures is to keep the child
absolutely fit – and in
control
of his weight
. If one is already suffering from child obesity, the best thing to do
would be to make a
program
that would help the child lose weight significantly
while still at a young age. There have been studies that showed good
health improvement in children who lost weight after being obese or
overweight for quite awhile. Parents should not wait for
symptoms to show up before bringing the child over to the doctor. Early
treatment of child obesity will help to significantly reduce the risk of
cardiovascular diseases. A gradual decrease in weight for obese
children may also lessen the possibility of developing other
cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes and high blood.
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