Overweight 9-yr-olds more likely to develop heart disease

Girls who are overweight at the age of nine are nearly 15 times more likely to be overweight as young adults, greatly increasing their chance of heart disease, research has shown.

Puppy fat has not traditionally been regarded as a concern, as children are expected to shed it as they grow.

However, a team of researchers at the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have found that the years between nine and 12 are important in terms of becoming overweight, as it is subsequently hard to lose the excess weight, the Times reports.

The study involved over 2,300 nine to ten-year old girls whose height, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol were monitored for over ten years.

Publishing their findings in Pediatrics journal, the researchers warned that childhood obesity can have serious consequences, both in the short and long-term.

"Girls who were overweight were three to ten times more likely to be assessed in the risk range on four out of six health indicators, and had three times greater odds of having elevated levels of LDL cholesterol," they wrote.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended that obesity surgery be made available for exceptionally obese children on the NHS in a bid to combat the growing problem of obesity in the UK.

© Adfero Ltd