Check BMI Early To Avoid Problems
In Adulthood:Study
March 10, 2005
New information suggests even some children considered
to be normal weight are at higher risk of becoming overweight
adults.
Even if a child looks like he or she is normal weight,
the Body Mass Index that takes height, weight and body
fat into account might say otherwise.
A new study found boys and girls with a Body Mass Index
above the 50th percentile were five times more likely
to be overweight as young adults. Those with BMI more
than the 75th percentile were 20 times more likely to
be overweight compared with their lean peers.
Even children in the upper half of the normal range
should monitor food intake and increase their activity
levels.
The study, led by researchers at Harvard Medical School
and Children's Hospital-Boston, was published in the
journal Obesity Research. It included 314 children who
were 8 to 15 years old when their weight, height and
blood pressure were first recorded. They were evaluated
eight to 12 years later.
Researchers also found boy in the upper end of the
normal weight range were four times more likely than
leaner peers to have high blood pressure.
That might be related because overweight people are
at a higher risk to get high blood pressure. Checking
Body Mass Index of children and changing their diet
if the BMI is very high might save them from two problems.
Source:www.nbc4.tv
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