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Geisinger Studies Impact of Obesity on Kids’ Hearts

GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER — We often hear about the potential dangers involved with kids being overweight but now there’s a new reason for concern, a...

GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER -- We often hear about the potential dangers involved with kids being overweight but now there's a new reason for concern, and it could be a big one.

Geisinger researchers have found that obesity is actually impacting the hearts of boys and girls, with signs of heart disease as early as 8 years old.

Even the Geisinger researchers looking into the impact of childhood obesity on the heart were surprised by what they found: that boys and girls considered obese are showing signs of heart disease and at an early age.

"It was shocking, and I think one of the most shocking things is there didn't seem to be an age effect," said Geisinger researcher Dr. Brandon Fornwalt. "We had 8 year olds to 18 year olds and the 8 year olds seemed to be just as affected as the 18 year olds."

Dr. Fornwalt is one of the leaders of this research project at Geisinger near Danville and he took us through the findings.

The big surprise was a thickening of the muscle that makes the heart pump. It's a big red flag for medical experts.

"We know in adults, if you see a thickened heart, that's a bad sign. It's related to hospitalizations, arrhythmia, sudden cardiac death, premature death."

None of the children studied showed any noticeable symptoms of heart problems. The researchers now hope to study what happens as obese boys and girls get older, including whether weight loss can reverse the thickening of the heart muscle. The big concern is that the impact on the heart may be one of the reasons obese children have an increased risk of dying in their 30s and 40s.

Statistics show one in five children in Pennsylvania is considered obese. And the researchers say inside those overweight kids is a problem that can't be ignored.

"Now some of the parents of the kids who took part in the study are shocked at the results and they are worried."

The American Heart Association is using the research done at Geisinger to draw attention to the problem of childhood obesity.

The big hope is that the research results are an eye opener for all parents and health experts.

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