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Obese children are at twice the risk of dying before their 55th birthdays, according to a new study of Native American children.

• Researchers from Umea University in Sweden reviewed the health records of 4,857 children born in Arizona between 1945 and 2009.
  
• About 30 percent were obese as children.
  
• Over a period of 24 years, 166 died, and those obese as children had twice the risk of premature death.
  
• High blood pressure, along with high blood sugar, played a role in premature death, but not cholesterol or high blood pressure alone.
  

This study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Labels: obese-kids, death

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Researchers with the School of Public Health at Imperial College London has found a genetic link to morbid obesity. Rather than mutated genes, however, researchers have discovered that a section of DNA is missing altogether.

A Feb. 8 report on MedicineNet.com provided the following details about the study:

• In the study, published in Nature, researchers first identified the missing genes in teenagers and adults who had learning difficulties or delayed development.
  
• The results showed 31 people had nearly identical deletions in one copy of their DNA.
  
• All of the adults with this genetic variation had a BMI over 30, which means they were obese.

The condition is rare, occurring in just seven of every 1,000 people, and seems to be linked with the onset of overweight and obesity in childhood.

Labels: genetics, obese-kids, morbid obesity

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A study from Northwestern University has found links between childhood obesity and psoriasis.

Dr. Amy Paller and her colleagues studied 211 children ages four to 17, and found that obese children had elevated C-reactive protein levels (CRP) if they had psoriasis.

"These data make evident that there is an important correlation between being overweight with moderate-to-severe psoriasis and having elevated levels of CRP," Dr. Paller said.

CRP level is a reliable marker of inflammation and psoriasis severity in adults. High CRP levels are associated with psoriasis.

This study appeared in the journal Dermatology Times.

Labels: obese-kids, psoriasis

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A study of more than 27,700 mothers found that those with negative moods and mindsets are more likely to feed their children junk foods.

Psychologist Elvind Ystrom of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health asked the mothers how often they fed their (all of whom were less than 18 months old) any of 36 different fatty and sweet foods, and then inquired about the mothers' states of mind.

"We found that mothers who were emotionally unstable, anxious, sad, angry, had poor self-confidence or a negative view of the world were far more likely to give their child sweets and fatty foods," Prof. Ystrom said. "At the same time there was no link between maternal personality and how healthy a diet the child got in the form of fruits and vegetables. & Unfortunately, we could not study the fathers."

One theory is that depressed mothers could not say "no" to their children.

This study was done in conjunction with the University of Oslo.

Labels: childhood_obesity, parenting, obese-kids, overweight children, eating-habits

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Researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service have conducted a study which found that cholesterol levels in obese children do not pose the risk they'd initially thought. Analysis of cholesterol levels in 10,000 kids found that just one percent of them fit the profile of needing cholesterol-lowering treatment.

"The study doesn't provide specifics for one of the more disturbing aspects of the new pediatrics guidelines: that some children as young as 8 might need cholesterol-fighting pills. LDL [bad cholesterol] readings for children under 12 weren't available."

However, the study's lead author, Dr. Earl Ford, believes results for younger children will reflect those of older children. Though cholesterol may not be an issue, researchers are quick to point out that there are many other health risks associated with childhood obesity. Source: Associated Press

Labels: health, obese-kids, cholesterol

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