BERLIN, April 29 — A new European study has found that obesity in children as young as three could indicate future problems with the arteries in early adulthood.  

Carried out by researchers at the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, the new study looked at a nationally representative sample of 4,716 German children aged three to 17 from across the country.

The researchers recorded the children's blood pressure, height and weight at the start of the study, and again 11 years later when the children were 14 to 29 years of age. During the second examination, the participants also underwent an ultrasound to assess the thickness of the inner two layers of the carotid artery. A thicker lining is an early indicator of clogged arteries.

The findings, presented this week on EAPC Essentials 4 You, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), showed that children who had hypertension (high blood pressure) at the start of the study had a 33 percent increased risk of having a thicker artery lining 11 years later.

Moreover, children who were obese during childhood had a 38 percent higher risk of thicker artery lining.

Having both high blood pressure and obesity throughout childhood and early adulthood brought even bigger risks: those who had high blood pressure at both of the examinations had a 63 percent increased risk of thicker artery lining and those who were obese at both exams had a 53 percent greater risk.

The researchers point out that until now, not much has been known about cardiovascular risk factors in children, such as high blood pressure and obesity, and their risk of heart disease later in life. However, the new findings suggest that even in children as young as three, the presence of these risk factors could warn of heart health problems later in life.

"The results of this study highlight the need to adopt healthy lifestyles from an early age,” said study author Ms. Julia Bueschges.

"The study provides evidence from a large general population sample for a connection between cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents — namely high blood pressure and obesity — and subsequent deleterious changes in the blood vessels.”

"These findings underline the importance of good cardiovascular health from an early age. Physical activity and a healthy diet can help prevent high blood pressure and obesity. Alcohol and tobacco should be avoided. Last but not least, it is important to manage stress.” — AFP-Relaxnews