"The metabolic abnormalities suggest that the process of developing heart disease has already started in these children, making it critical for them to make definitive lifestyle and diet changes," said Ashutosh Lal, senior author of the study and a pediatric hematologist at the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland in California.
Researchers compared the diets and blood test results of 33 obese youths (ages 11 to 19) with 19 age-matched youths of normal weight.
Blood tests revealed that the obese teens had:
1 C-reactive protein levels almost ten times higher than controls, indicating more inflammation in the body.
2 Insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes, with greater amounts of insulin needed to keep blood sugar levels normal.
3 Homocysteine levels 62 per cent higher than controls. High levels of the amino acid homocysteine are related to greater heart disease risk.
4 Total glutathione levels 27.9 per cent lower than controls, with oxidized glutathione levels 125 per cent higher, indicating oxidative stress. This in turn leads to more inflammation and an increase in blood vessel damage and stiffening.
"Looking at the numbers you would think these children might feel sick, but they did not," Lal said. "They are apparently feeling well, but there is a lot going on beneath the surface."
The obese children's diets were lower in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin A, found in fortified dairy products and as well as in deeply colored fruits and vegetables.
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