Exercise in Young Obese Children Reduces Blood Pressure, Improves Markers of Atherosclerosis

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0.25

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None

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Medscape

Expires:

December 18, 2010

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Journal of the American College of Cardiology

, and is designed for primary care clinicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and other specialists who care for obese children. It describes the anthropometric and cardiovascular profile of obese vs. lean prepubertal children, and reviews the effects of six months of an exercise program on the cardiovascular profile of obese children.

This online CME program is based on a study that appeared online December 11, 2009 in the

Key findings from the study include:

Obese and lean children did not have elevated glucose or triglyceride levels.

Obese children vs lean children had significantly higher 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure and arterial stiffness, lower VO_2max, and greater endothelial dysfunction.

Moderate systolic hypertension was present in 47.6% of obese children, and both systolic and diastolic hypertension was present in 28.6% of obese children.

The rate of systolic hypertension was similar in the obese group that participated in the exercise program and in the group of obese controls.

The authors report that after three months, subjects in the obese exercise group exhibited improvements in BMI, BMI z-score, total and abdominal fat, triglycerides, total cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein and HDL cholesterol levels, and office systolic and diastolic and 24-hour blood pressure. Conversely, the obese control group experienced increases in BMI, total and abdominal fat, and office and 24-hour systolic blood pressure.

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