Quick Study | Kids, exercise and future health
Posted on Tue, May. 13, 2008
By LINDA SEARING
Washington Post Service
The question: Are youngsters who are not physically active more likely to face health problems as they grow up?
This study analyzed data on 389 children ages 7 to 10 at the start of the study. They were measured for height, weight, body fat percentage, cholesterol levels and blood pressure, tested for aerobic fitness and questioned about physical activity. Seven years later, as teens, about 5 percent of them were found to have metabolic syndrome, a collection of five conditions (hypertension, high blood sugar levels, obesity, low levels of ''good'' cholesterol and elevated levels of blood fats) that can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Teens with metabolic syndrome were five to six times more likely than the others to have been inactive and to have had below-average aerobic fitness when they were initially measured.
Who may be affected? Children. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made when at least three of the five conditions that constitute the disorder are present.
Caveats: Data on physical activity came from the children's responses to a questionnaire. The study involved a fairly small number of children.
Find this study in the April 4 online issue of Dynamic Medicine.
Learn more about metabolic syndrome at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health and www.mayoclinic.com.
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