|
 “Myocardial infarction in the family was related to children’s
cholesterol whereas diabetes in the family was related to children’s
waist circumference, cholesterol and HbA1c (a measure of average
blood sugar levels), which are typical markers for those diseases,”
said lead author Nina E. Berentzen of the National Institute for
Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven and University
Medical Center Utrecht.
“Importantly, both family histories were independently associated
with higher cholesterol levels in children, indicating that these
disease histories may contribute to cardiometabolic risks via
separate routes,” Berentzen told Reuters Health by email.
The researchers used data on more than 1,300 children in The
Netherlands, all 12 years old. Their parents reported their own and
their parents’ history of cardiovascular disease, including heart
attack and stroke, as well as type 2 diabetes.
Children with relatives with these conditions, especially those with
family history of early onset of these diseases, were classified as
having a strong family history.
About 400 of the children, or 29 percent of the group, had a strong
family history of heart attack, stroke or diabetes, with heart
attack and diabetes being most common. Most had a strong family
history of one disease only.
Kids also had their waist circumference, cholesterol, blood pressure
and fasting blood sugar recorded.
Kids with a strong family history of one of the diseases were more
often overweight and had parents with lower education and higher
body mass index than those without a family history of disease.
Having a strong family history of disease was also tied to having
higher total cholesterol and lower levels of so-called “good
cholesterol” relative to the total cholesterol measurement,
according to the results in Diabetologia.
Children with a strong family history of type 2 diabetes had an
average waist circumference 2.25 centimeters (about 1 inch) larger
than peers without that family history.
A family history of stroke alone was not associated with any
differences among the children, however.
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“Cardiometabolic markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol and
waist circumference are considered important risk factors for
cardiovascular disease in adulthood,” Berentzen said. “It has been
estimated that they explain about half of the variation in
occurrence of coronary heart disease, together with other
traditional risk factors such as smoking, diet and physical
inactivity.”
Risk begins to accumulate in childhood and adolescence when
lifestyle habits are established, she said.
The cardiometabolic markers in this study were not clinically
significant for the kids, and would take years to develop into overt
heart disease, she said.
Childhood risk factors strongly predict adult risk factors, said Dr.
Markus Juonala of the Turku University Hospital Department of
Internal Medicine in Finland, who was not part of the new study.
But symptomatic heart disease usually emerges after age 50, Juonala
told Reuters Health by email.
“It is well known that adults with high levels of cardiometabolic
markers have increased risks for cardiovascular disease (e.g. heart
attack and stroke) and diabetes,” Berentzen said. “Therefore,
children with unfavorable levels of cardiometabolic markers may
become adults with increased risks for those diseases, which may be
difficult to reduce once the risks have established,” she said.
“Healthy lifestyle habits, such as a healthy diet, physical activity
and less inactivity are important to maintain a healthy weight in
order to keep cholesterol levels within the healthy range, and to
reduce the risk of fatty buildup in the arteries,” she said. “By
making healthy choices for themselves and their children, parents
could lower risks of future disease for the entire family.”
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