A study published in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatrics shows that girls who become overweight while children tend to remain at increased risk through young adulthood. Furthermore the study suggests, for the first time, that girls are most likely to become overweight in the the years immediately before puberty.
The study, conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, enrolled more than 2300 girls between ages 9 and 10, and followed the girls up to age 23. Approximately half the girls were white, and half African American.
The proportion of girls who were overweight increased as they progressed through adolescence, from 7% to 10% in white girls, and 17% to 24% in African American girls. The onset of becoming overweight was most likely during ages 9 to 12. Girls who were overweight had higher blood pressure, higher LDL cholesterol levels, and lower HDL cholesterol levels than those who were of normal weight. Furthermore, girls who were overweight in childhood were up to 30 times more likely to be frankly obese during the early ages of adulthood (up to age 23), and their metabolic abnormalities persisted into adulthood.
This study shows that childhood obesity is not benign, and is not merely "a phase" that girls are likely to grow out of. Indeed, it shows that childhood obesity is a pattern that is likely to transition into an overweight adulthood, complete with metabolic abnormalities predisposing to metabolic syndrome, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and early death.
Sources:
Thompson DR, Obarzanek E, Franko DL, et al. Childhood overweight and cardiovascular disease risk factors: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. J Pediatr 2007; 150: 18-25.
