Weight loss helps lower blood pressure in obese kids
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Losing weight is a good way for obese children to lower their blood pressure, a new study reveals.
Even losing a little weight can produce good effect, according to the study published by HealthDay News on Friday.
"The effect of weight on blood pressure is very different in children in different weight categories," said lead researcher Wanzhu Tu, an associate professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.
"For obese and overweight children, even a small reduction in weight will produce a stronger benefit in blood pressure control," Tu added.
But for normal-weight children, blood pressure is not so dramatically affected by weight loss, he said.
For the study, Tu and his colleagues collected blood pressure data on 1,113 children and compared the children's body mass index (BMI, a measure of body weight) to charts depicting normal blood pressure based on age, sex and height.
The study authors found that the BMI had little effect on blood pressure among normal-weight children, but it had a significant effect on overweight children.
In fact, among overweight boys, the BMI had an effect on their systolic blood pressure reading that was 4.6 times the effect found among normal-weight boys. The findings were similar among girls, the researchers added.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, in children sets the stage for complications later in life, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, they noted.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that "obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents."
Obesity and overweight in childhood are well-documented to be associated with high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, reduced insulin sensitivity, and abnormal blood vessel function, Fonarow said.
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