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FRIDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Obese teens who start a regular exercise program can reverse or reduce early signs of heart disease, new research shows.
The finding suggests that continued exercise could decrease their risk of developing hardening of the arteries, heart attacks and strokes, said Dr. Andreas Alexander Meyer, of the University of Rostock in Germany.
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"Obese young adults who were already obese in childhood have a high risk of developing serious cardiovascular events," Meyer said. "First events can occur between the age of 20 and 30 years."
Meyer's team studied 67 obese German teens with early signs of hardening of the arteries: decreased flexibility of their arteries and increased thickness in the linings of the carotid arteries of the neck.
"It was in the range we usually see in adults between the ages of 30 and 40," Meyer said. "This is clear evidence of vascular changes in obese children."
During the study, the researchers randomly assigned the teens, who averaged 15 years of age, to either a six-month exercise program or no change in their usual routine.
The exercise regimen included 60 minutes of swimming and water aerobics on Mondays, 90 minutes of team sports on Wednesdays and 60 minutes of walking on Fridays.
In the exercise group, the researchers saw an almost complete restoration of the arteries' flexibility, which resulted in improved blood flow. They also observed a significant reduction in the thickness of the linings of the youths' carotid arteries.
Because exercise also led to improvements in body-mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and cholesterol and triglyceride levels, the researchers concluded that it could significantly reduce the teens' risk of developing heart disease. "Even children who did not lose weight showed improvements in vascular status and obesity-related risk factors," Meyer said.
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