Apr 04, 2008 — See The Press Association (wire service)
Children should be encouraged to exercise from a young age to prevent developing heart disease risk as teenagers, experts have said. A UNC study on 389 youngsters found that exercise levels in childhood had a big effect on the risk of getting heart disease in later life. Youngsters who developed metabolic syndrome in adolescence were six times more likely to have had low aerobic fitness when they were younger, it found. Robert McMurray, a professor in the department of exercise and sport science, and colleagues said they had shown for the first time that metabolic syndrome in teenagers was influenced by levels of fitness and physical activity in childhood. "This is the first study to examine the importance of childhood fitness levels on your metabolism as a teenager," he said. "Previously we didn't know if low fitness levels were an influence. It's obvious now that there is a link."
