What are the Effects of Childhood Obesity?
When we think about obesity, immediately the effects of childhood obesity consequences come to mind as well. Health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, depression, over eating, lethargy, and even cancer, Alzheimer’s, stroke, coronary hear disease, and the list goes on.
Here is a list of a few health problems and the effects of childhood obesity and obesity in general:
(Note: some of these may not pertain to your child. Please consult a physician to determine if your child shows any signs or symptoms of the below problems.)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
- Stroke
- Liver and Gallbladder disease
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Osteoarthritis(a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
- Gynecological problems(abnormal menses, infertility)
Obviously many of these consequences happen later on in life, but there onset can be postponed, if not prevented altogether, if children do not become obese. That’s why understanding the overall effects of childhood obesity is paramount to preventing obesity in the first place.
In order to do this, parents must understand that there are effects of childhood obesity and consequences involved in becoming obese. Below are the consequences of each disease listed above.
Coronary Heart Disease, also known as Coronary artery disease: A major cause of illness and death, coronary artery disease (CAD) begins when hard cholesterol substances (plaques) are deposited within a coronary artery. The effects of CAD are severe, sometimes fatal.
(The coronary arteries arise from the aorta adjacent to the heart and supply the heart muscle with blood that is rich in oxygen. They are called the coronary arteries because they encircle the heart in the manner of a crown.) The plaques in the coronary arteries can cause a tiny clot to form, which can obstruct the flow of blood to the heart muscle producing symptoms and signs of CAD that may include: 1. Chest pain (angina pectoris) from inadequate blood flow to the heart; 2. Heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), from the sudden total blockage of a coronary artery; or 3. Sudden death, due to a fatal disturbance of the heart rhythm. As you can see, CAD is a serious problem, and since it is the leading cause of death in the US currently, we need to do everything we can to prevent it. Therefore, understanding that CAD is a possible effect of childhood obesity will help you to understand the true nature of the problem.
Type 2 diabetes, often called non-insulin dependant diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90% – 95% of the 18.2 million people with diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin; however, the insulin their pancreas secretes is either not enough or the body is unable to recognize the insulin and use it properly. This effect is called insulin-resistance. When there isn’t enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose (sugar) can’t get into the body’s cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body’s cells are not able to function properly. Other problems associated with the build up of glucose in the blood include:
- Dehydration. The build up of sugar in the blood can cause an increase in urination (to try to clear the sugar from the body). When the kidneys lose the glucose through the urine, a large amount of water is also lost, causing a dehydration effect.
- Hyperosmolar nonketotic diabetic coma. When a person with type 2 diabetes becomes severely dehydrated and is not able to drink enough fluids to make up for the fluid losses, they may develop this life-threatening complication.
- Damage to the body. Over time, the high glucose levels in the blood may damage the nerves and small blood vessels of the eyes, kidneys, and heart and predispose a person to atherosclerosis (hardening) of the large arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke.
Diabetes and Related Health Issues.
Need to understand diabetes and diabetes problems? Then visit this website for information.
In 2002, about 41,000 new cases of cancer in the United States were estimated to be due to obesity. This means that about 3.2 percent of all new cancers are linked to obesity.
A recent report estimated that, in the United States, 14 percent of deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of deaths in women were due to overweight and obesity.
One of the most dangerous aspects of hypertension (or high blood pressure) is that you may not know that you have it. There are generally no symptoms of high blood pressure, so you usually don’t feel it. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have hypertension don’t know it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.
If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:
- Severe headache
- Fatigue or confusion
- Vision problems
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Irregular heartbeat
- Blood in the urine
- Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears
If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor immediately. You could be having a hypertensive crisis that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol) is elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), or both, or a low high density lipoprotein level that contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. Causes may be primary (genetic) or secondary. Diagnosis is by measuring plasma levels of total cholesterol, TGs, and individual lipoproteins. Treatment is dietary changes, exercise, and lipid-lowering drugs; just another one of the devastating effects of childhood obesity.
There are severe effects of childhood obesity. Though strokes generally happen much later in life, obesity in children can cause them much earlier than we have ever seen them before.
A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.
When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.
For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability. Either way, does it seem fair that any child would have to suffer this or any of these effects of childhood obesity? Top
The signs and symptoms of liver disease can vary greatly from child to child and between the 100 different liver diseases which can affect children – which is one reason that liver disease can be hard to diagnose on occasions. However below is a list of some of the main indicators of liver disease in children, and how liver disease can in fact be a possible effect of childhood obesity:
- Jaundice(yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes)
- Loss of appetite
- Yellow urine
- Grey or pale colored stools
- Change of sleep patterns
- Vomiting of blood
- Passing of blood in the stools and urine
- Tiredness or loss of stamina
- Abdominal swelling caused by a large liver or large spleen or excess fluid in the abdomen
- Portal Hypertension
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Another one of the effects of childhood obesity is chronic Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.
Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.
Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow.
This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Osteoarthritis(a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints. This too can be an effect of childhood obesity. Cartilage is a protein substance that serves as a "cushion" between the bones of the joints. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis. Among the over 100 different types of arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting over 20 million people in the United States.
Osteoarthritis occurs more frequently as we age. Before age 45, osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in males. After age 55 years, it occurs more frequently in females. In the United States, all races appear equally affected. A higher incidence of osteoarthritis exists in the Japanese population, while South African blacks, East Indians, and Southern Chinese have lower rates. However, childhood obesity problems are showing higher rates of osteoarthritis in all ethnicities in all age groups.
Gynecological problems(abnormal menses, infertility)
Menstrual Health Problems From Obesity
Obese women suffer more menstrual disorders. For example, the frequency of menstrual disturbance in women with morbid obesity (BMI 40+) is three times greater than for women of normal weight. Obesity in premenopausal women is associated with irregular menstrual cycles and infertility.
Health Problems For Mother and New Baby
Obesity has a strong detrimental effect on the health of both mother and new-born baby, both during and after pregnancy.
- Obesity is associated with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother and increases the risk of maternal high blood pressure by 10 times.
- Infants of women who are obese during pregnancy are more likely to be high birth-weight, which carries a higher rate of Cesarean section delivery and low blood sugar.
- Obesity in pregnancy carries an increased risk of birth defects, such as neural tube disorders like spina bifida.
- Obesity-related health problems occurring after childbirth include higher risk of wound and endometrial infection, endometritis and urinary tract infection.
These problems have negative side affects throughout the life of every woman. Don’t let your daughter grow up with these possible effects looming over her head. Do something about it now to help her! Top click here to learn more about the Effects of childhood obesity.
Since the medical profession has deemed the effects of childhood obesity to be so severe and numerous, we were unable to list all of the effects of childhood obesity here. However, we do believe that all the information above is enough to warn you about how serious the effects of childhood obesity can be for your child.
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