A common test of fat levels in the blood may help identify children who will grow up to suffer heart attacks and clogged arteries in their thirties and forties, according to a study spanning three decades.
Adults in the study who had the heart problems were more likely to have shown elevated childhood levels of fat in the blood, known as triglycerides, and had higher body mass indexes, a measure of body fat based on height and weight, according to research to be presented March 29 at the American College of Cardiology’s meeting in Orlando. Children were tested beginning in 1973 and evaluated again 25 to 30 years later.
The study shows that development of some forms of cardiovascular disease begins at childhood. Parents and doctors should monitor children for high triglycerides and body-mass index levels, said Samrat Yeramaneni, a researcher at Jewish Hospital Cholesterol Center in Cincinnati, who was scheduled to present the data.
“Pediatric triglycerides are an exceptionally strong, independent predictor of early onset cardiovascular events,” said John Morrison, professor emeritus of preventive cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in a statement.
Researchers tested 1,756 children beginning in 1973, and followed up with 808 adults 25 to 30 years later. Nineteen people in the follow-up study reported cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, bypass surgeries and angioplasties to re-open clogged arteries.
Triglycerides Higher The adults with heart problems had tested for average childhood triglycerides of 127 milligrams per deciliter, compared with 76 for the others from the follow-up group. They had body mass indexes of 24.3 kilograms per square meter, compared with 20 in those without heart problems.
“Based on our findings, we encourage pediatricians and family practitioners to take notice of elevated levels of triglycerides and screen for overweight and obesity,” Yeramaneni said in a statement. Doctors should take heed of elevated levels and intervene early, he said.
About 17 percent of U.S. kids ages 6 to 11 were obese in a study conducted from 2003 to 2006, up from 6.5 percent 30 years ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention.
