Study: Young Children and Heart Disease

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Imaging scans of obese children as young as 8 years old, show heart damage, NBC Health reports.

MRI’s conducted in obese children by researchers at the Geisinger Health System show “thickening of the muscle — a sign of strain that can lead to stroke, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure and sudden death.”

“Obese children had 27 percent more muscle mass in the left ventricle of their hearts and 12 percent thicker heart muscles – both signs of heart disease – compared to normal weight children,” Geisinger said in a statement.

“This evidence of cardiac remodeling was present in obese children as young as age 8,” Linyuan Jing, lead researcher said.

In the U.S. more than 39 percent of Latino children are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Learn more about SaludAmerica! and Latino childhood obesity.