Focus on the belly
MORE children than ever are developing pudgy tummies, possibly putting them at risk for future heart disease or diabetes.
A new study, published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics, found that more than 17% of children ages 2 to 19 had excessive abdominal fat in 2004, compared with 10.5% in 1999. The new information comes amid growing concern among doctors about excess abdominal fat in adults. That type of fat, known as visceral fat, surrounds internal organs and contributes to cardiovascular disease.
Abdominal fat is measured by taking a waist circumference. The measurement is rarely performed by pediatricians because there are no accepted guidelines for what is normal or abnormal in children. However, the study, by researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests a cut-off point that could be used to define excessive abdominal fat in youngsters.
“It is a first step,” says Dr. Stephen Cook, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester. “It’s something that maybe we need to consider doing in the future.”
Abdominal fat and the risks that accompany it are not permanent, Cook notes. Children can greatly increase their chances of having a healthy heart by shedding excess tummy fat early in life.
