Key Points
A blood test could help identify children at risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease because of being obese, by looking beyond cholesterol and assessing a broader range of lipid molecules, according to a new study...
They analysed blood samples of over 1,300 obese, overweight and normal-weight children and identified new lipid molecules which contribute to health risks like blood pressure, but are not only related with a childs weight...
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, contest the common idea that cholesterol is a leading cause of obesity-related complications in children, including fatty liver, the team said.. They suggested that the blood test could help doctors detect early signs of the disease in children and direct them towards the right treatment...
For decades, scientists have relied on a classification system for lipids that have split them into good and bad cholesterol, but now with a simple blood test we can assess a much broader range of lipid molecules that could serve as vital early warning signs for illness, lead author Cristina Legido-Quigley, a group leader in Systems Medicine at the Kings College, London, said.. (The blood test) has the potential to be an entirely new way to evaluate someones personal risk of disease and by studying how to change lipid molecules in the body, we could even prevent metabolic diseases like diabetes altogether, Legido-Quigley added...
Among the 186 children, the authors found reduced levels of ceramides, phospholipids and triglycerides, indicating that addressing obesity could partially restore a healthy lipid profile in children and adolescents...
