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Diet and Exercise Helps Reverse Vascular Dysfunction
in Obese Children
posted 04/16/04
Obesity in children is associated with vascular dysfunction
and wall thickening, early events in atherogenesis, but these harmful effects
can be partially reversed with diet and exercise.
That, comes from a report published in the April 6th rapid
access issue of Circulation.
"We were surprised that the children had developed vascular abnormalities at
such a young age--and by how readily these could be reversed with simple
lifestyle measures," lead author Dr. Kam S. Woo, from The Chinese University of
Hong Kong, said in a statement.
The findings are based on a study of 82 overweight children who were randomized
to receive a low-fat diet alone or in combination with a structured exercise
program for 6 weeks. After this period, all 41 subjects in the diet only group
and 22 of 41 in the diet plus exercise group continued their assigned
intervention for 1 year.
During the initial 6 weeks, both interventions were associated with a
significant reduction in waist-hip ratio and total cholesterol level and with
improved vascular function. The effect on vascular function was more pronounced
with diet plus exercise than with diet alone (p = 0.01).
At 1-year follow-up, further improvements in endothelial function were seen in
children who continued the exercise intervention. Moreover, continued exercise
had beneficial effects on carotid wall thickening, body fat content, and lipid
profiles. Less dramatic benefits were seen in children who maintained the
diet-only intervention.
"This highlights the importance of regular exercise in preventing
obesity-related vascular dysfunction in children," Dr. Woo emphasized.
In a related editorial, Dr. Stephan Gielen and Dr. Rainer Hambrecht, from the
University of Leipzig in Germany, comment that this report "provides conclusive
evidence that aggressive lifestyle modification by diet and physical exercise
training are needed in overweight children to correct endothelial function as a
marker of cardiovascular risk."
Source: Diabetes In Control.com: Circulation 2004;109:000-000.
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