Obese girls at risk of metabolic syndrome

Adolescent obese girls who have high levels of triglycerides are at an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart disease and diabetes risk factors such as excess body weight, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol levels. Transient preadolescent central adiposity, by contrast, is not associated with metabolic syndrome later in life. Researchers from the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, found that early interventions aimed at managing preteen obesity could reduce the risk of developing the syndrome. The findings were based on a longitudinal study of more than 1000 girls who were followed for 10 years starting at ages 9 to 10. The study focused on the five components of the metabolic syndrome: high waist circumference, high glucose, high triglycerides, low "good" HDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure. At 9 to 10 years of age, one girl of each race (0.2 percent) had three or more components of the metabolic syndrome. Ten years later, however, an average of 16 girls had at least three components. On analysis, increased waist circumference and high triglyceride levels emerged as significant predictors of metabolic syndrome during follow-up. The development of abnormal levels of the individual elements constituting the metabolic syndrome can have its origins and onset in adolescence and develop through adulthood. Thus, taking corrective action in adolescence could provide major health benefits.