Children's waist size 'may indicate heart risk'
Last updated at 12:19 02 August 2005
In adults, fat deposited around the waist is known to be a warning sign of heart and artery disease.
Some studies suggest it is a better indicator of risk than body mass index, a measurement combining weight and height.
A large waist is often associated with metabolic syndrome - a combination of conditions including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and raised levels of blood fats.
Researchers led by Dr Valeria Hirschler, of the Durand Hospital of Buenos Aries in Argentina, measured the waist size of children aged six to 13.
The results were compared with measurements of metabolic syndrome components, such as obesity, insulin resistance, lipids (blood fats including cholesterol and triglycerides), and blood pressure.
Of the 40 boys and 44 girls assessed, 16 were of normal weight, 28 overweight, and 40 - nearly half - obese.
Analysis showed that waist circumference was an independent indicator of metabolic syndrome.
The researchers wrote in the journal Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine: "The present study showed that children with abdominal obesity, as determined by WC (waist circumference), have increased metabolic risk factors for CVD (cardiovascular disease) and T2DM (type 2 diabetes mellitus)."
Almost 30% of children in the UK are now classified as overweight or obese. Their numbers are said to have soared between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
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