Overweight Kids and NAFLD (Nonalchoholic Fatty Liver Disease)
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver ailment among US kids. Researchers have estimated that these kids have now numbered more than 6 million. Overweight (obese) children have a greater risk of having this liver ailment because of the known link between being overweight and the marked increase of blood lipids (fats) in the bloodstream.
If left unchecked, these blood lipids do damage to a child’s liver giving rise to NAFLD. This type of liver disease has become so common that approximately 80% of overweight (obese) children have NAFLD. It is estimated that 5% of these overweight (obese) children develop severe advanced liver disease; giving rise to cardiovascular problems for them even as children and certainly giving them a higher risk of dying at an early age.
There is still no ‘cure’ for childhood obesity but prevention and a healthy lifestyle (parents included) go a long way in minimizing serious diseases
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