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Watching too much television leads to high blood pressure in obese children, according to a study from the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Jeffrey Schwimmer and his colleagues studied 546 children (ages four to 13) who were enrolled in weight management clinics. Children who watched two to four hours of television a day were 2.5 times more likely to have high blood pressure, and obese children who watched that amount were three times more likely to have high blood pressure compared to those who watched two hours or less daily.

The American Pediatrics Association recommends that children watch no more than two hours of television a day.

This study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Labels: TV, health_factors, blood_pressure

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Teens with sleep apnea are more likely to be overweight and at risk for heart attacks, strokes and diabetes, according to a new study by Case Western University. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder in which soft tissues in the throat collapse temporarily during sleep.

Dr. Susan Redline and her colleagues studied 270 teenagers and found that those with sleep apnea were six and a half times more likely to have metabolic syndrome, a condition liked with being overweight. A person has the syndrome if he or she has three of the following: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, high triglycerides and low levels of "good" cholesterol.

This study suggests that sleep apnea may contribute to metabolic syndrome, because "sleep stress" may lead to elevated blood sugar and blood pressure levels. This study appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Labels: sleep, stress, health_factors

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Dr. Thomas Inge has been performing bariatric surgery on adolescents for five years. Now, he's leading a study to determine the overall benefits and risks of this surgery on adolescents.

"While adult weight-loss surgery still is more common, an estimated 2,744 youngsters nationwide had the operations from 1996 through 2003, with the pace tripling between 2000 and 2003, according to an earlier study co-written by Inge."

Researchers will compare health factors like cholesterol levels and liver function both before and after the surgery. The findings will be compared to the results from a similar study that was conducted with adults. Read more online.

Labels: health_factors, weight_loss_surgery, adolescence

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