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Mom's Waist Size Measures Kid's Diabetes Risk
Researchers in Argentina have found that a mother's waist size is a reliable indicator for her child's risk of developing metabolic syndrome including heart disease and diabetes. Mother's whose waist size greater than 34.6 inches were twice as likely to have children at risk.
Metabolic syndrome is when a patient has three or more of five conditions which include abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, low levels high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or the "good" cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood glucose. Metabolic syndrome significantly raises the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The study looked at 620 elementary school children whose average age was 9 years old. Their mothers average age was 38. About 70% of the children had at least one condition of metabolic syndrome. 10.8% of the children had developed the syndrome as well as 11% of their mothers.
"This study shows that mothers' waist circumference is the most important component to children's metabolic syndrome and should always be determined because it is cheaply and easily measured," Dr. Valeria Hirschler of Durand Hospital in Buenos Aires and colleagues write.
Researchers found that a mother's waist size was the strongest releationship with her child's metabolic syndrome. In fact, it was stronger than any other risk factor including the diagnosis of the mother having metabolic syndrome.
"These findings provide clues for content development of programs for prevention of childhood metabolic syndrome and for targeting at-risk children for intensive intervention," the researchers conclude.