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New research has found that one in four Canadian teenage boys have higher-than-normal blood pressure, and the cause most likely is obesity.
The findings, presented in March at the American Heart Association’s 43rd Annual Conference, were from a study of over 3,500 students in Quebec.
In 20% of 16-year-old boys, systolic blood pressure (the top number in blood pressure readings) was high. Borderline high systolic pressure was found in 7% of 16-year-olds, which means, notes lead investigator Dr. Gilles Paradis of McGill University, that fully one quarter of all boys aged 16 had blood pressure readings above normal.
In the study, systolic blood pressure rose as body mass index (BMI) rose.
"Urgent and Massive Preventions Efforts" Needed
States Dr. Paradis: “Schools, parents, health professionals, and policy makers need to understand that the gravity of the obesity epidemic requires urgent and massive prevention efforts targeted at getting kids to become physically active as well as to eat a healthy diet.”
Pritikin Family Program
In response to growing concerns over the health and weight of children, the Pritikin Longevity Center® launched a new program last summer, the Pritikin Family Program, that teaches kids how fun and rewarding exercise and a healthy diet can be. The program was so successful that it returns to Pritikin this summer from July 5 through August 2.
In last summer’s program, children dropped their cholesterol levels on average 30%. Within the two-week program, those who were overweight lost 5 to 10 pounds. After returning home, several shed another 20 to 30 poounds.
American Heart Association Guidelines For Children
The Pritikin Family Program parallels new guidelines for children just released by the American Heart Association. They encourage parents to limit high-fat, high-salt, and high sugar foods for all children starting after age two, and to limit sedentary activities such as television and computer time to less than two hours daily.
For children at high risk – those who are obese or who already suffer from high cholesterol or high blood pressure – the American Heart Association recommends lifestyle education and weight management programs.
“Prevention holds the most promise when it is initiated in children,” says lead author of the AHA report, Dr. Rae-Ellen W. Kavey, chair of cardiology at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
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