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- December 28, 2007

The payoff for fit kids


From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Metabolic syndrome is nothing a kid should have.  Metabolic syndrome means elevated blood pressure, cholesterol problems, insulin resistance, and too much fat around the belly. These things can set people up for heart disease. And as overweight becomes more common, more kids are at risk.

However, a researcher at East Carolina University has found something that reduces the risk. Katrina DuBose, who looked at 7- to-9-year olds, says it’s aerobic fitness. Even among children who were overweight, those who were fit had fewer issues with metabolic syndrome.

DuBose’s advice for kids and parents:

``Organized activities are good, but free play is also beneficial. Children need to spend less time watching TV and playing video games and more time being active.’’ (9 seconds)

The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May, 26 2008