TV can raise blood pressure in obese children

TV can raise blood pressure in obese children
A family watches television in an undated photo. Obese children who watch a lot of television are more likely to have high blood pressure than heavy children who don't spend as much time in front of the tube, the results of a new study shows. (File/Reuters)NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese children who watch a lotof television are more likely to have high blood pressure thanheavy children who don't spend as much time in front of thetube, the results of a new study shows.
Increased psychological stress and junk food eaten whilewatching TV could be factors in the relationship, principalinvestigator Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer of the University ofCalifornia, San Diego, told Reuters Health.
Obese children who watched 2 to 4 hours of TV each day were2.5 times more likely than their peers who watched less TV tohave high blood pressure, he and his colleagues found, whilekids who watched more than 4 hours daily had more than triplethe risk of having high blood pressure.
TV watching time clearly influences obesity and high bloodpressure is a known consequence of obesity, Schwimmer and histeam point out in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
To investigate this relationship, they evaluated 546children between 4 and 17 years old who were seeking treatmentfor obesity. Forty-three percent had high blood pressure.
Most of the study participants with high blood pressurewatched 2 hours or more of television. Time spent watchingtelevision was also associated with the severity of obesity,the researchers found.
Kids who watch more TV may also be eating more fatty, saltyfoods, which could directly contribute to high blood pressure,Schwimmer and his colleagues note.
Studies have shown that children who watch more TVexperience more perceived psychological stress, Schwimmernoted, and evidence is mounting that stress can alter how thebrain communicates with other organs, affecting blood pressureand body fat accumulation and distribution.
The findings underscore the importance of limitingchildren's TV viewing to less than 2 hours a day, asrecommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, he said, andthat this may be particularly important for overweight andobese children.
Blood pressure is often not measured in children, and if itis measured, "it's often not done correctly," Schwimmer added."I would encourage parents of children to raise the issue ofblood pressure with their child's doctor."
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, December2007.