Obesity and cardiovascular disease in the youth

By Mariam Faizal

Obesity and diseases of the heart go hand in hand, whereby the chances of cardiovascular disease highly increases as a child becomes overweight/obese. Furthermore, as many countries battle this phenomenon, nearly 20 percent of children in the UAE are obese. This is one of the highest rates in the world.

Cardiovascular diseases

The most prevalent of cardiovascular diseases are hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and an escalated chance of coronary heart disease as an adult.

Hypertension is the condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is escalated. Therefore, children are at higher risk of strokes, aneurysms, and chronic kidney disease. Hyperlipidemia, on the other hand, is when anomalous levels of lipids (fats) exist in the blood. This condition is one of the warning signs for diabetes as well. Coronary heart disease is the most common type of cardiovascular disease, and the principal cause of heart attacks. This condition is cause by the deposition of plaque on the walls of the arteries, thus restricting blood flow to the heart.

Other significant conditions include type 2 diabetes, and overly high cholesterol levels. These, however, until recent were thought to be only afflicting adults, and thus shows the deep research required by the links between heart disease and obesity.

What can be done?

The most obvious, and practical method of prevention is the regulation of satisfactory body weight levels. Children should consume 5 portions of fruit and vegetable daily at the very least. Therefore, this reduces the risk of hypertension by a critical amount. This is so very important, since the chances of dementia, heart failure, and heart disease are reduced alongside.

To lessen hyperlipidemia, lower cholesterol levels are of paramount importance. Children could die before the age of twenty if this disease gets out of hand. Therefore, symptoms such as Xanthelasma’s (yellow deposits of fat underneath the skin often presenting in the nasal portion of the eye) should be effectively identified for treatment.

Coronary heart disease reduction is to be tackled before it presents itself during adulthood. This is done effectively by: quitting smoking, practicing a healthy diet/lifestyle, treating hypertension –these two are linked- and, undoubtedly, exercise.

Exercising caution with food intake- children should eat healthy carbohydrates, and refrain from unnecessary junk food and thus prevent diabetes.