From Your Health Journal…..”Most of my regular visitors know I love the My Health News Daily web site, and always try to promote their work. We know how childhood obesity is on the rise, and so many children have risk factors for heart disease, weak joints, low self esteem, cancers, and type 2 diabetes – a disease once thought to affect mostly adults. Now, a new study comes out that adds more to the risk factors, as very obese girls (those who had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher were nearly four times more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with girls who were normal weight. The link was strongest among teenagers. No link was found between obesity and multiple sclerosis for girls in other weight classes, or for boys. As a society, we need to monitor our children to ensure they live normal, healthy lives with a proper diet, 60 minutes of physical activity each day, proper sleep, and reductions of the liquid candy. Please visit the My Health News Daily web site to read the complete article.”
From the article…..
Very obese children and teens may be at risk for multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests.
In the study, very obese girls (those who had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher) were nearly four times more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) within the study period, compared with girls who were normal weight. The link was strongest among teenagers.
No link between obesity and multiple sclerosis was found for girls in other weight classes, or for boys.
In people with MS, the immune system attacks the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord, producing symptoms such as numbness, loss of balance, weakness and tremors. MS is rare in children — about one to two kids out of every 100,000 will develop the condition. Symptoms are similar in children and adults, although youngsters may also experience symptoms not typical of MS, such as seizures or lethargy, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The findings suggest that, as the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, so will cases of multiple sclerosis, said study researcher Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif.
“Our study suggests that parents or caregivers of obese girls and teenagers should pay attention to symptoms such as tingling and numbness or limb weakness, and bring them to a doctor’s attention,” said Langer-Gould.
However, the study only found an association, and cannot prove that obesity causes multiple sclerosis. It could be that an aspect of the condition itself — such as having trouble exercising before the condition is diagnosed — predisposes youngsters to obesity. But if this were the case, researchers would expect to see the same link in girls and boys, which the study did not find, Langer-Gould said.
The researchers analyzed information from 75 children and teens ages 2 to 18 who were diagnosed with pediatric MS, and compared them with more than 913,000 children and teens who did not have MS. For those with MS, BMI was measured before the condition was diagnosed.
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