Overweight preschoolers have twice the odds of developing high blood pressure by age 6, putting them at risk of heart attack and stroke later in life.
And those odds begin building as early as age 4, a new study reports.
"The myth that excess weight in children has no consequences hampers the prevention and control of this health problem," said study author Dr. Inaki Galan, from Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, Spain.
"Parents need to be more physically active with young children and provide a healthy diet," Galan added. "Women should shed extra pounds before becoming pregnant, avoid gaining excess weight during pregnancy, and quit smoking, as these are all established risk factors for childhood obesity."
For the study, Galan and his team looked at the weight and blood pressure of nearly 1,800 4-year-olds. The children were tested again at age 6.
Compared with kids who maintained a healthy weight throughout the study, those who were obese had nearly triple the risk of developing high blood pressure between ages of 4 and 6.
Kids who lost weight did not have the increased risk, the study found.
The report was published June 13 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
"There is a chain of risk, whereby overweight and obesity lead to high blood pressure, which heightens the chance of cardiovascular disease if allowed to track into adulthood," Galan said in a journal news release. "But the results show that children who return to a normal weight also regain a healthy blood pressure."
And those odds begin building as early as age 4, a new study reports.
"The myth that excess weight in children has no consequences hampers the prevention and control of this health problem," said study author Dr. Inaki Galan, from Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, Spain.
"Parents need to be more physically active with young children and provide a healthy diet," Galan added. "Women should shed extra pounds before becoming pregnant, avoid gaining excess weight during pregnancy, and quit smoking, as these are all established risk factors for childhood obesity."
For the study, Galan and his team looked at the weight and blood pressure of nearly 1,800 4-year-olds. The children were tested again at age 6.
Compared with kids who maintained a healthy weight throughout the study, those who were obese had nearly triple the risk of developing high blood pressure between ages of 4 and 6.
Kids who lost weight did not have the increased risk, the study found.
The report was published June 13 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
"There is a chain of risk, whereby overweight and obesity lead to high blood pressure, which heightens the chance of cardiovascular disease if allowed to track into adulthood," Galan said in a journal news release. "But the results show that children who return to a normal weight also regain a healthy blood pressure."
Why do opioid overdose deaths spike after cold snaps?
ОтветитьУдалитьThat's the mystery Brown University researchers set out to solve in a study of more than 3,000 opioid-related deaths in Connecticut and Rhode Island between 2014 and 2017.
УдалитьThe new analysis uncovered a 25% increase in opioid overdose deaths within three to seven days of freezing temperatures, compared to stretches when the temperature averaged 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Regardless of what is causing the correlation between cold weather and fatal overdoses, our findings suggest that agencies and organizations should consider scaling up harm-reduction efforts after a period of cold weather," said study leader Brandon Marshall. He is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Providence, R.I.-based university.
Opioids -- such as heroin, morphine and oxycodone (OxyContin) -- depress respiration and that can cause a deadly overdose. But, Marshall said in a university news release, "There may be a host of other risk factors that contribute to opioid overdose deaths, which could be avenues for effective interventions."
Those interventions might include public health messages to remind people to check on neighbors and loved ones who use opioids, and to warn users not to use the drugs when they are alone, Marshall said.
While the precise reasons for the uptick in overdoses after cold snaps are unclear, there are several ways cold weather may increase the risk, according to the researchers.
Both opioids and cold weather make breathing more difficult. Some opioids also reduce the temperature where shivering starts, making it harder to regulate your body temperature, the researchers explained.
Cold weather also changes behavior, they added. People may be more likely to be alone when they use opioids, meaning no one is with them to administer the overdose-reversal drug naloxone (Narcan).
Cold weather also may affect users' access to opioids. That could increase the risk that they will use drugs containing illicit fentanyl or those that are more potent than they're used to, the study authors suggested.