The arteries of overweight children show abnormalities that can lead to plaque formation and heart disease later in life. New research shows that these abnormalities can largely be reversed with regular exercise and a low-fat diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.*
States lead researcher Dr. Kam S. Woo: “We were surprised that the children had developed abnormalities at such a young age – and by how readily these could be reversed with simple lifestyle measures.”
Dr. Woo and colleagues from the University of Sidney and the Chinese University of Hong Kong recruited 82 overweight children, ages 9 to 12. Medical testing showed that all the children had obesity-related arterial dysfunction – in particular, thickening of the inner walls of the coronary arteries, a key early event in the development of heart disease.
For six weeks, half the kids followed a low-fat diet full of natural, high-fiber carbohydrates; the other half followed the same low-fat diet and were also assigned to a structured exercise program.
At the end of six weeks, both interventions produced significant weight loss, reduced cholesterol levels, and healthier arteries. But the diet-plus-exercise intervention was the clear winner. It was associated with significantly greater improvement in arterial function than diet alone.
At the one-year follow-up, the children following the low-fat diet and exercise program were rewarded with further improvements in their coronary arteries as well as continued success with weight loss and cholesterol lowering. Less dramatic effects were seen in children in the diet-only group.
This research, stated Drs. Stephan Gielen and Rainer Hambrecht in an editorial in the same issue of Circulation, “provides conclusive evidence that aggressive lifestyle modification by diet and physical exercise training are needed in overweight children.”
The diet/exercise program that proved so successful in this new study is very similar to the diet/exercise program that kids learn in the popular Pritikin Family Program, conducted every summer at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida. For details, call 800.327.4914
* Circulation, Apr 2004; 10.1161/01.
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