Diet, Exercise Improve
Blood Vessels in Obese Kids

The blood vessels of children who are obese show changes that can lead to heart disease later in life. Now, new research shows that these changes can largely be reversed with diet and exercise.

"We were surprised that the children had developed (blood vessel) abnormalities at such a young age--and by how readily these could be reversed with simple lifestyle measures," researcher Dr. Kam S. Woo, from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said in a statement.

The findings are based on a study of 82 overweight children who were put on a low-fat diet alone or in combination with a structured exercise program for six weeks. After this period, all 41 kids in the diet-only group and 22 of 41 in the diet-plus-exercise group continued their assigned regimens for 1 year.

During the initial 6 weeks, both interventions were associated with a drop in cholesterol levels and with improved blood vessel function. The effect on function was more pronounced with diet plus exercise than with diet alone, according to a report in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

At 1-year follow-up, further improvements in blood vessel function were seen in kids who continued the exercise program. Moreover, continued exercise had beneficial effects on blood vessel wall thickening and body fat content. Less dramatic benefits were seen in children who remained on the diet only.

"This highlights the importance of regular exercise in preventing obesity-related (blood vessel) dysfunction in children," Woo emphasized.

In a related editorial, Dr. Stephan Gielen and Dr. Rainer Hambrecht, from the University of Leipzig in Germany, comment that this report "provides conclusive evidence that aggressive lifestyle modification by diet and physical exercise training are needed in overweight children" to correct blood vessel dysfunction, a risk factor for heart disease.

SOURCE: Circulation, April 6th online issue, 2004.