Article from Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News

BIG KIDS -- BAD HEARTS

Winter is almost here, which means that for much of the country the challenge to keep kids active is greater. Need motivation to get your kids involved in physical fun? Need new ideas for feeding them well? Consider this: Obese children face a greater risk of developing heart disease later in life. If your darling is carrying excess pounds, it's more than a vanity issue -- it's a health issue -- a significant one.

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center used echocardiography -- ultrasound of the heart -- to examine the heart function of 14 obese children. What happens, they found, is that an obese child, just like an obese adult, develops an enlarged heart muscle and an enlarged left atrium, the part of the heart that fills with oxygenated blood from the lungs. These are well-documented risk factors for heart disease in adults, says Thomas R. Kimball, MD, one of the study's authors, director of echocardiography and professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital Medical Center.

An enlarged heart doesn't seem to be problematic for elite cyclists that compete in the Tour de France. But in most adults, it's a sign that the heart is overworked and it's a risk factor for a heart attack. Although children are generally too young to die of heart disease, Dr. Kimball explains, it probably will hurt them later in life. An enlarged heart raises the risk of congestive heart failure and arrhythmia.

UNDOING THE DAMAGE

Fortunately, the damage to the heart appears reversible, says Dr. Kimball. If an obese child loses weight, the heart muscle shrinks. Getting into healthier diet and exercise habits is important, but it's just as vital for the entire family to receive counseling. "Often, if there's an obese child, there are obese parents," says Dr. Kimball. "Achieving better health becomes a family affair."

So think twice about the messages you're sending your children. Pack healthful lunches for your kids, give them nutritious snacks and keep them active. Not only will it help them avoid obesity now, it will keep them healthy in the future.

Be well,