Some obese 3-year-olds show heart risk

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 1 (UPI) -- Obese children as young as 3 have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a biomarker considered an early warning sign for heart disease, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also found elevated levels of two other inflammatory markers -- the ratio of ferritin/transferrin saturation at age 6 and the absolute neutrophil count in obese children at age 9.

"These findings were a surprise to us," lead author Asheley Cockrell Skinner says in a statement.

"We're seeing a relationship between weight status and elevated inflammatory markers much earlier than we expected."

The analysis included data from 16,335 children ages 1-17, grouped into four categories based on their body mass index: healthy weight, overweight, obese and very obese.

Under this scheme, a 3 1/2-year-old who is 39 inches tall and weighs 34 pounds would be in the healthy weight category while a child of the same age and height weighing 43 pounds would be considered very obese.

In younger children and smaller children, it only takes 7 or 8 pounds to change them from being a healthy weight to being overweight, Skinner says.

The findings are published in the journal Pediatrics.