The value of eating fruits and vegetables has been touted for generations. But new scientific research is finding that fruits and vegetables are more than just an excellent source of vitamins.

"We've moved beyond seeing fruits and vegetables as rich sources of essential vitamins and now are beginning to understand the roles and complexity of compounds such as antioxidants and the literally hundreds of phytochemicals that interact to influence health and nutrition."

Antioxidants protect the body against "free radicals," harmful molecules that are linked to higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. Source: Enid News & Eagle (OK)

Labels: healthy_eating, heart_disease, nutrition

Researchers have found that obese teenagers are far more likely to die of heart disease and other illnesses than teens that are at a healthy weight. The study followed more than 200,000 Norwegians from adolescence through middle age.

"Study participants who were obese as teenagers... tended to remain obese into adulthood. Obesity later in life has long been implicated as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers...whereas the long-term effects of childhood obesity are uncertain."

The study found long-term health risks not only for heart disease, but also colon cancer and respiratory diseases. Source: National Institutes of Health

Labels: heart_disease, obesity_rates

Several recent studies have found that childhood obesity increases a person's risk for serious heart issues as an adult. It's estimated that heart disease could increase by as much as 16% once today's teenagers reach adulthood.

"According to an interview conducted by KATU News, 'We've simply never had a generation that's been this heavy from so early in life. The consequences of that are unprecedented and unknown,' said Dr. David Ludwig, director of an obesity program at Children's Hospital Boston. He says that the results of these two studies may be underestimating the future health issues that may result from the weight problems this generation is struggling with."

An estimated 1/3 of US children are overweight or obese, leading to an increase in the diagnosis of things like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Labels: heart_disease, research, studies

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that most cases of hypertension in children and teens are going undiagnosed. Hypertension has become more prevalent due to the dramatic rise in childhood obesity.

"The study reported that of 507 children and adolescents with hypertension, just 131 had a diagnosis of that condition or high blood pressure in the medical records. The study also found that if a pediatrician did not recognize the problem, it would be years before it was diagnosed and treated, resulting in unnecessary end-organ damage."

Because children who are overweight or obese are especially at risk for high blood pressure, it should be checked at every doctor's office visit.

Labels: health_care, heart_disease, hypertension

Researchers have found that children as young as eight-years-old who are overweight or obese are seven times more like to be at risk for heart disease when they're teenagers. Risks like high-blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and elevated blood sugar were found in overweight or obese children who were just 15-years-old.

"The current results also suggest that doctors need only measure children's weight and height, and not their waistline, to get a good picture of their future heart risks. Childhood body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - was more strongly related to future cardiac risk factors than waist circumference was."

The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were based on observations of 172 children who had their BMI and waistline information documented at age eight, and then again at age fifteen. At fifteen, the children were also assessed for heart disease risk factors.

Labels: blood_pressure, heart_disease, pediatricians

A recent study lead by Professor John Morrison at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center shows that overweight children with high cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels are at an increased risk for heart disease or strokes.

"But losing weight significantly lowered health risks. 'This indicates [the risk of heart disease and stroke are] not hard-wired. Some clearly are more susceptible, but susceptibility isn't the same as inevitability,' says William Dietz, who heads the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

The condition that Morrison studied is called pediatric metabolic syndrome, and is indicated by the presence of at three of the following factors: excess weight, low HDL (the good cholesterol), high triglycerides, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. Morrison found that weight was the key driver of the condition. Read more at LangingStateJournal.com.

While being overweight or obese isn't healthy, neither is teenage drug addiction. Learn what signs to look for at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: genetics, health_risks, heart_disease