Medical Consequences Of Childhood Obesity

High Blood Pressure And Cholesterol

Another study has discovered obese and overweight children are at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. During the study, the researchers from California went through nearly 250,000 health records of children between six and seventeen. They found out individuals who were overweight were twice more likely to develop high blood pressure and have worse cholesterol profiles than kids at an average weight.

Additionally, moderately obese children were four times more likely to contract the condition, while extremely obese youths were ten times as likely to get the same disease. This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension. Moreover, the study found nearly ten percent of extremely obese children and teenagers already have high blood pressure and about half of them occasionally register blood pressure readings in the higher levels.

Continue reading to learn about the medical consequence related to sleep that's attached to childhood obesity.

Sleep Apnea

If a child has fatty deposits around their neck and chin area, it might press on their airway as they are lying in the sleeping position. This might obstruct their airways and cause them to briefly stop breathing as they are sleeping. Also, a large belly can make it difficult for the chest and diaphragm to expand and take in the air while they are sleeping. Moreover, their enlarged tonsils might obstruct their airway as they sleep.

Children with this condition could stop breathing for up to sixty seconds during the night, and they may have these repeated moments for as many as sixty times a night. Additionally, children as young as two years old might experience this condition if they are overweight. Thus, if your child snores and is overweight, it is a likely indicator of sleep apnea. And if left untreated, this medical condition will severely affect the child’s growth and could result in learning difficulties, trouble paying attention in school, and behavioral issues. Obesity is a significant contributor to sleep apnea. Hence, to avoid the detrimental consequences of this disease, it is imperative you take appropriate measures to control their weight.

Continue reading to uncover another potential medical consequence of childhood obesity.