Obese Kids More Stressed than their Normal-Weight Peers

Rebecca Lewis December 20, 2013

Overweight children have higher levels of stress hormones, which make them at a higher risk of developing serious health problems – new research suggests.

Prolonged stress can cause build-up of cortisol and other stress hormones in the body, which can cause major health problems overtime. Published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the new study was the first to show that obese children have chronically elevated levels of cortisol.

For the study, the researchers measured the cortisol levels in scalp hair (which reflects long-term exposure and has been proposed to be a biomarker for stress) of 20 obese children ages between 8 and 12. Results were then compared with that of 20 normal weight children.

Overweight children have higher cortisol levels

“We were surprised to find obese children, as young as age 8, already had elevated cortisol levels,” said study co-author Erica van den Akker, M.D., Ph.D. “By analyzing children’s scalp hair , we were able to confirm high cortisol levels persisted over time.”

Findings revealed that obese children had an average cortisol concentration of 25 pg/mg scalp hair, whilst the normal-weight kids had an average concentration of 17 pg/mg.

Because the study was carried out in an observational approach, researchers said more studies are needed to determine the reason(s) why obesity increases stress hormones in children.

“We do not know whether obese children actually experience more psychological stress or if their bodies handle stress hormones differently. Answering these key questions will improve our understanding of childhood obesity and may change the way we treat it.”

Childhood obesity is becoming a worldwide concern. The World Health Organisation in fact acknowledges it as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. In 2010, there were over 42 million obese children worldwide, of which close to 35 million of these are living in developing countries.

Obese children are more likely to be ill, be absent from school due to illness, require more medical care than normal-weight children, and experience health-related limitations, according to a 2010 study published in the BMC Public Health journal. What’s more, they are more likely to become obese adults, and have a higher risk of morbidity, disability and premature mortality in adulthood. The most common health problems tied with obesity are asthma, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, psychosocial risks and mental health disorders, and musculoskeletal problems.

Source of this article:

Stress Hormones Can Be Elevated Among Obese Children