subject: Children Can Suffer Stroke Too [print this page] The adverse change in the lifestyle of the young today has greatly affected their health and have made them prone to various diseases. Obesity and Diabetes are the most prevalent dilemma children are faced with, making them highly probable to suffer stroke.
Recent studies show that one in three children are obese. In America alone, 23.5 million children aged 12-19 are obese, while nearly 10 million children and adolescents aged 6-9 are overweight, and 12% of preschool children are overweight.
Studies also show that each year about 15,000 people under 20 are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and more and more children with Type 2 diabetes. Children who develop Type 2 diabetes are typically obese and/or have a family history of diabetes.
Sweets, which were usually given only during special events or occasions to children half a century ago, are now the culprit behind all these. According to statistics the average consumption of sweets and bakery desserts was about 10 servings per week in children ages 5-14 and about 6-9 servings per week in adolescents aged 15-19.
Though stroke cases in children are rare (1 in 4,000 infants and 2.3 in 100,000 children ages 1-19), the sudden rise in cases of obesity and diabetes in children may prompt a domino effect. Stroke normally occurs in older people because blood clots and cholesterol in the arteries buildup after years of unhealthy lifestyle.
However, stroke have occurred in children because they are now more exposed to poor diet and less physical activity. The excessive intake of sweets have created high sugar levels in their blood. When excess sugar in the blood is not burned through physical activity, this is converted by the body into freely-floating fat. This excess fat is accumulated in the mid-area of the body, causing the belly and abs to bulge.
The child develops metabolic syndrome in the process, obesity in the onset, and diabetes in the long run. Overtime, all these excess fat that's still floating in the blood sticks to the walls of the arteries and creates clots that leads to stroke. Amidst all these processes, hereditary diseases could also be triggered ahead of time.
As of 2006, stroke in children remains to be the sixth leading cause of death in infants and children according to experts. Its really a must that efforts to augment health be undertaken by everyone before the numbers climb.
Children are now more prone to stroke than ever. Good eating habits and an active lifestyle are important values that must be inculcated in children as early as age 0 (zero). Being healthy role models for them is also a great tool to address this urgent concern.
by: Cheow Yu Yuan
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