Circumference of the wrist predicts heart disease in children

• April 19, 2024

To date there are different ways to know if you are exposed to heart disease; for example: if you are overweight, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. But now, the researchers intend to add another warning signal that is more focused on the children population who suffers from obesity, and it is the size of the dolls.

For overweight young children, current measures to predict the risk of heart disease are not as accurate. The body mass index (BMI), a relationship between height and weight, can ignore the possible warning signs, since it does not take into account the distribution of fat, that is, the visceral fat that accumulates around the organs and may be particularly dangerous for him heart . Visceral fat is more likely to lead to insulin resistance, the first symptoms of diabetes, which also puts at risk of cardiovascular diseases .

Meanwhile, the circumference measurements of the waist , although it is effective to analyze the increasing risks associated with visceral fat in Adults , are less useful in children; since many of the infants who present weight gain before the growth period, quickly melt that grease as they go developing .

So, based on the evidence that the insulin has a direct effect on the bone growth , the Drto. Raffaella Buzzetti , endocrinologist of the University of Sapienza in Rome , Italy, decided to test whether the circumference of the wrist would be a better indicator of the insulin resistance , and therefore of a potential heart disease in small children.

In a report presented in the magazine of the American Heart Association , Buzzetti and his team found that the circumference of the wrist represents between 12% to 17% of the differences in insulin resistance, in a group of about 500 schoolchildren with overweight or obesity. Those with thicker wrists tended to show signs of this resistance.

Buzzetti chose the doll because it is a measure objective of the growth of the bones, that is why the correlation makes sense, since the bone contains receptors of insulin and the insulin growth factor. "Insulin is a anabolic hormone that acts on the bones , stimulating growth, "she says." We have shown that there is a stronger correlation between insulin resistance and wrist circumference than with BMI. This could be an excellent metric marker in the future for pediatricians. "

For now, scientists have confirmed only the relationship between the size of the bone of the wrist and insulin resistance, but they still have to determine the measurements of the bones in the possible imbalances at the levels of insulin .

In addition, the results do not suggest that all children with thick wrist bones are at risk of insulin resistance and therefore heart disease . But yes, among young people who are already overweight or obese, it is easier to take the measure and may even be more effective than the IMC in alerting physicians about what they may be in. higher risk of developing heart problems in the coming years. Buzzetti comments that: "bones can become an interesting object of study In this regard, since it secretes hormones and receives messages from other glands, then we are sure that it has a very active role in metabolism. "This research can help us take advantage of the identification of health risks at a young age, why not seize it ?

Video Medicine: Weighing the Facts of Obesity (April 2024).