Unbalanced diet, sedentary lifestyle and obesity. This toxic cocktail affects a growing number of children around the world. It would be responsible for the outbreak, among young people, of a disease generally attributed to adults: hypertension.
According to a study whose results have just been published in The Lancetthe proportion of children suffering from hypertension would have increased from 3.2 to 6.2% in just 20 years. It now concerns 114 million young people under the age of 19 worldwide.
And 8.3% would be in “pre-hypertension” (blood pressure above average, without meeting the criteria for hypertension), with the majority among adolescents.
Sanitary time bomb
If these results are particularly worrying, it is because hypertension is the bedrock of cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases and a multitude of complications. A blood pressure High levels during childhood often persist into adulthood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life.
« The near doubling of high blood pressure in children in 20 years should alert health professionals and caregivers “, declared to The Guardian Igor Rudan, researcher at the University of Edinburgh and author of this study.
Obesity, a major factor
To achieve these results, researchers analyzed 96 studies carried out on a total of 400,000 children from 21 countries.
Their calculations show that obesity is a determining factor in this unprecedented explosion. 19% of very overweight children are affected by excessive blood pressure compared to only 3% of those of normal weight.
Better monitoring…and lifestyle changes
The good news, however, is that better detection of high blood pressure could help reduce the risk of complications. And the factors responsible for this situation are modifiable.
We now know that a more balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in salt and sucreas well as an activity physique regular use and a reduction in sedentary behavior (screens) are sufficient to reduce hypertension.
How can we create the conditions for real change? That’s another question. Because despite our knowledge, the health authorities have, to date, almost all failed…
