I was surprised, and alarmed, this news that indicates that the arteries of obese children are as clogged and accumulate as much plaque as middle-aged adults, whereby the risk of having a heart attack or stroke over 30 years is increased.
The conclusions have been obtained using ultrasound to measure the thickness of the inner walls of the arteries of the neck in 70 children, mostly obese. The research focused on assessing the thickness of the inner lining of the carotid arteries, blood vessels that are in the neck and that supply the blood to the brain.
The boys in the study had high levels of "bad cholesterol" and triglycerides, and had plaque buildup (made up of fat, calcium and other blood components) that narrows the arteries and limits blood flow. The "arterial age" of these was 45 years.
This has been confirmed by researchers from the University of Missouri (United States), who have presented their conclusions at a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
The average age of the children participating in the study was 13 years, and as we know, every time cases of obesity occur earlier, so it is never too late to take care of the health of our children. They are really worrying data, and more if we consider that, for example in Spain, 10% of children aged 3 to 12 are obese
Without a doubt, prevention is the best way, because if we ignore the problem of obesity we are preparing the way for a cardiovascular accident, apart from other serious health problems, now and in the future.
