Study: Young Girls With High Cholesterol at Higher Risk of Obesity

Young girls who are normal weight but high cholesterol are more likely to become overweight or obese by the time they reach adolescence, according to U.S. researchers.

The Bogalusa Heart Study, which looked at the development of cardiovascular disease in children and young adults, enrolled 58 children with abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) and 215 children with normal cholesterol levels.

The children were five to six years old and were followed for six years. Half of the group was girls and 41 percent of the children were black. None of the children was obese at the start of the study.

During the follow-up period, the girls with high cholesterol levels showed an increase in body mass index at a greater rate than the girls with normal cholesterol levels, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

By age 11 to 12 years, 45.2 percent of the hypercholesterolemic girls were overweight or obese, compared to 21.6 percent of the non-hypercholesterolemic girls. The results were not affected by race.

In the same age range for boys, body mass index was no different for hypercholesterolemic and non-hypercholesterolemic children.

Researchers speculate that abnormally high cholesterol in young girls may indicate an altered metabolism, which later can result in obesity, with worsened cholesterol disorders and blood pressure and increased insulin concentrations.

Other sources: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition