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Obese Children Show Early Warning Signs for Future Heart Disease CHAPEL HILL, NC -- March 3, 2010 -- A study published in the March 1 issue of the journal Pediatrics, found that obese children aged as young as 3 years have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that in adults is considered an early warning sign for possible future heart disease. In addition, the study found elevated levels of 2 other inflammatory markers -- the ratio of ferritin/transferrin saturation (F/T) and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) -- in obese children. Elevated F/T levels started at age 6 and elevated ANC levels were found starting at age 9. “These findings were a surprise to us,” said lead author Asheley Cockrell Skinner, PD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “We’re seeing a relationship between weight status and elevated inflammatory markers much earlier than we expected.” “Most adults understand that being overweight or obese isn’t good for them,” said Dr. Skinner said. “But not as many people realise that it may be unhealthy for young children to be overweight.” Dr. Skinner and colleagues analysed data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2006. Their analysis included data from 16,335 children ages 1 to 17 years, who were grouped into 4 categories based on their body mass index (BMI): healthy weight, overweight, obese and very obese. Under this scheme, a 3.5-year-old who is 39 inches tall and weighs 15.4 kg would be in the healthy weight category while a child of the same age and height weighing 19.5 kg would be considered very obese. In the group of children analysed, nearly 70% were healthy weight, 15% were overweight, 11% were obese, and 3.5% were very obese. Among very obese children aged 3 to 5 years, more than 40% (42.5%) had elevated CRP compared with only approximately 17% of healthy weight children. Among older children the difference was even more pronounced. In adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, 83% of the very obese had elevated CRP compared with 18% of the healthy weight. The study concluded that weight status and elevated inflammatory markers are strongly related, even in young children, and further research should examine the impact of long-term, low-grade inflammation in overweight and obese children. SOURCE: University of North Carolina School of Medicine E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version