Early obesity leads to fatty liver disease…and DEATH

A startling new report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and reviewed by USA Today, indicates that obese children are more likely to experience premature death than their healthy counterparts. Additionally, fatty liver disease was one of the primary causes of early death in these children. For a number of years now we have heard about the increasing waist lines of children and the corresponding health conditions that occur because of the excess weight, such as diabetes. This study, however, is the first of its kind to actually show that these obese children will most certainly live shorter lives.

The data came from a National Health Institute study that followed 4,857 American Indian children residing in Arizona since 1965. The study, which followed the children for an average of twenty-four years, found that children who were the heaviest, in the top fourth for obesity, were more than twice as likely to die prematurely from natural causes, such as fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, as those children who weighed in the lower quarter of the group. Those who died of fatty liver disease were likely obese for a long period of time and also had other liver toxins or viruses present. Unfortunately, the researchers could not definitively determine how many years obesity may shorten a child’s life because most of the participants are still alive, which means the average life span of the group is still unknown.

The problem with early obesity is that it not only affects a singular aspect of the body’s health, such as high blood pressure, rather it negatively impacts several risk factors, such as high cholesterol, inflammation, and high blood sugar. These heightened risk factors in turn open the door for a host of serious diseases and illnesses, such as fatty liver disease, which can lead to early disability and death. This is especially troubling because current data indicates that approximately thirty-two percent of young people are obese or overweight. Moreover, a 2005 study showed that children today may experience shorter lives by two to three years earlier than their parents. It is important to take your child’s life seriously and understand that obesity in childhood and adolescence can lead to a shorter lifetime of chronic illness and disease. It is important to discuss nutrition and activity with both your child and medical professional to get them on a health track. In an effort to promote children’s health and in conjunction with the First Lady’s initiative to combat childhood obesity, you can print this prescription for healthy living for your child and doctor