Health

Overweight children are at higher risk of heart attack or stroke in middle age


Overweight children are at higher risk of heart attack or stroke in middle age even if they have slimmed down

  • High blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking before the age of 19 also raise risk
  • Findings are strongest evidence so far that childhood lifestyle has a big impact
  • 42,000 participants from the US, Australia and Finland, were tracked until 50 

Overweight children are at significantly greater risk of heart attack or stroke in middle age – even if they slim down as adults.

High blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking before the age of 19 also raise the risk, say Oxford University researchers.

The findings are the strongest evidence so far that childhood lifestyle has a big impact later.

Overweight children are at significantly greater risk of heart attack or stroke in middle age

Overweight children are at significantly greater risk of heart attack or stroke in middle age

The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Paris yesterday, uses the health records of children aged three to 19 in the 1970s.

The 42,000 participants, from the US, Australia and Finland, have been tracked until the age of 50, in which time 290 have suffered heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular disease.

The researchers found an extra 10 per cent in body mass index as a child was associated with an additional 20 per cent risk of adult cardiovascular problems. 

Each additional 10 per cent of blood pressure in childhood increased adult cardiovascular risk by 40 per cent, and the same in childhood cholesterol raised cardiovascular risk 16 per cent.

The researchers found an extra 10 per cent in body mass index as a child was associated with an additional 20 per cent risk of adult cardiovascular problems

The researchers found an extra 10 per cent in body mass index as a child was associated with an additional 20 per cent risk of adult cardiovascular problems

Crucially, those who had these risk factors as children – but were healthy in adulthood – had about triple the odds of an attack as those with a healthy lifestyle throughout.

And those who were unhealthy as children, and continued the poor habits in adulthood, had a five-fold risk compared to those healthy as children but developed a poor lifestyle as adults.

Author Professor Terence Dwyer said: ‘Programmes to prevent heart attacks and strokes should put more emphasis on healthy lifestyles in children.’



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