ORLANDO, Florida - Children who are on the path toward obesity have some worrisome cardiovascular disease risk factors as young as age 7, according to researchers tracking early childhood weight fluctuations.
The researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio measured the height and weight of 158 boys and 150 girls every four months after age 3 using body mass index, or BMI. They then examined several cardiovascular characteristics of the children at age 7.
A key element of the study was the "BMI rebound." After babies are born, many have what is commonly known as baby fat and can appear pudgy. Heading into the toddler period, they become taller and leaner, with their body mass index dropping.
Usually between ages 4 and 7, children start putting on weight in a way that increases their body mass index. The point at which the BMI ceases to drop and starts to rise again is called the BMI rebound, the researchers said.
The study showed that children who reached this BMI rebound early -- starting to put on excess weight soonest -- experienced cardiovascular red flags by age 7.
Those with the earliest age of BMI rebound, starting at age 4, were more likely to have high blood pressure and elevated left ventricular mass, known to be a major risk factor for heart disease in adults, the researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.
Girls registered a slightly earlier BMI rebound than boys, leaving them at a bit higher risk because they started gaining weight earlier, they said...
Via Reuters
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