Did you know that if your child is obese, he is more likely to struggle with heart problems later in life as compared to his healthier friends?
Excess weight and obesity are the fifth leading cause of deaths globally. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In 2010, more than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight, of which 35 million were from developing countries, and the rest from the developed world, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics.
Local obesity
The UAE is also grappling with the issue of a growing number of overweight and obese children. Experts say poor eating habits coupled with a sedentary lifestyle are the primary contributors to a frightening rise in the number of overweight children in the country.
A nationwide UAE Ministry of Heath survey of Emirati and expatriate students conducted last year found that 39 per cent of school children were overweight and 21 per cent ate fattening fast food three times or more a day. A total of 2,581 students aged between 13 and 15 participated in the survey.
Although cardiovascular diseases generally manifest in adulthood, severely obese children are at a high risk of heart disease and stroke. Dr Sridhar Kalyanasundaram, Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician at American Hospital Dubai, says that as childhood obesity often carries over into adulthood, obese children have increased chances of developing serious health problems such as heart disease.
Obesity also raises the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of health disorders — insulin resistance (leading to type 2 diabetes), hyperlipidaemia and hypertension – that puts children at further risk of heart disease, adds Dr Kalyanasundaram.
“The reduced exercise tolerance of obese individuals aggravates problems and can cause coronary atherosclerosis, in which blood vessels narrow down due to fatty deposits, accompanied by the inflammation of the vessel wall. When the condition affects the heart blood vessels, there is an increased chance of heart attacks,” says Dr Kalyanasundaram.
But all hope is not lost. Doctors say that most of the risk factors that affect children can be controlled, to lower the risk of them developing any cardiovascular ailments later in life. It is critical to understand that prevention is always the best way to avoid a heart problem in adulthood.
The starting point for the management of heart disease in overweight and obese children is weight loss through lifestyle changes. “Ninety per cent of childhood obesity is related to genetic or lifestyle factors and doesn’t have any other underlying condition. But children need to be evaluated by a paediatrician to rule out possibilities of high cholesterol, insulin resistance or other factors that could also cause obesity. Medication and surgery usually don’t have a role to play in childhood obesity, except for those suffering from morbid obesity,” says Dr Kalyanasundaram.
Eat right
For children who have already developed heart complications, Safeek Ali, a dietician at Welcare Hospital, suggests some dietary modifications: “The recommendations for prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases in children older than two years of age are the same as those for adults,” he says. “They should not take more than 30 per cent of calories from fat (10 per cent or less from saturated fat, up to 10 per cent from unsaturated fat and 10-15 per cent from monounsaturated fat) and 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day. They should also follow a diet low in trans-fatty acids and increase their intake of fish, wholegrains, vegetables and fruits. They must limit their consumption of sweetened beverages and fried foods, and should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily activity.”
Ali, however, adds that overweight children should never be put on any drastic energy-restricted diets. Dr Delia Fayad, Specialist Paediatrician at Drs Nicolas & ASP, echoes this sentiment. She says, “A diet for obese children should not emphasise rapid weight loss. Instead, the goal for overweight and obese children and teens is to reduce the rate of weight gain while allowing their normal growth.
“One of the most important functions of a diet plan for overweight children is to encourage them to learn how to tell whether they are hungry and what portion to take. This helps control the number of calories they take in.”
However, for any lifestyle change to be effective, all the members of the family must cooperate. By making healthier choices in foods and undertaking regular physical activity, overweight children can reduce weight and also prevent various noncommunicable diseases. n
