Latest study finds the unhealthy effects of obesity can manifest and can burden the heart as early as age 8.  Scientists now have a new concern for the youngest and the heaviest.

As reported in Time, obese kids as young as 8 may suffer from heart problems.  Researchers at the American Heart Association reported Tuesday during their annual meeting in Florida  that excess weight in children can lead to potentially harmful changes in the hearts of the kids as young as 8.

The researchers studied 20 obese children; these are children whose body mass index was over 35 compared to the healthy range of 18.5 to 25.  They also studied 20 normal-weight children for comparison.  The children underwent MRI of their hearts to see if obesity was affecting that muscle of the organ.  Surprisingly, they found out that it actually was.

 Findings reveal that obese children had 12 percent thicker heart muscle compared to normal-weight children.  Children with thicker heart muscles have a difficult time pumping blood, putting a lot of strain to the heart.  More alarming are those children who are heavier and showed 27 percent thicker left ventricles, the chamber of the heart responsible for pumping blood to the body.  These children showed early signs of decreased heart function that could lead to premature death from heart-related causes in adults.

Linyuan Jing, a post doctoral fellow from the Geisinger Health System and part of the study said, "It's surprising to see evidence of heart disease among eight year olds.  Because this implies that children younger than eight could have signs of heart disease as well."

Jing and her colleagues hope to further the study to better understand which factors relating to obesity might be contributing to the changes in the heart structure.  Right now, the study only finds a connection between obesity and these changes.  They are planning to enrol 200 children to delve deeper at factors such as blood pressure and diabetes and see if they influence the discovered changes in the heart.

"We hope the changes in the heart are reversible, but we don't know that currently," she says.

An eight year old suffering from a heart disease is quite alarming.  Obesity is no longer an epidemic in adults but has now affected the kid's generation.  Do you think this study tells the truth on the current state of children's health?  Share us your thoughts about this article by leaving your comments below.