Junk Food Can Harden Kids’ Arteries, Research

Bristol: Children who eat a lot of junk food may have hardened arteries by the age of 17, a study has warned. Hardening of the arteries can increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.

A study of nearly 5,000 babies born in Bristol in the 1990s found that children whose diets consisted of a Mediterranean-based diet (foods rich in vegetables, fruit, beans and pulses) had narrower arteries. It was less strict.

According to experts, the research findings highlight the importance of balanced dietary habits and suggest that screening children at an early stage can prevent future cardiovascular problems.

Arteries are the main blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body.

Hardening of the arteries is an important early indicator of problems caused by the loss of elastic fibers (flexible fibers) and thick collagen fibers from the arteries, and this condition increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack. .

In the study, experts from the University of Exeter, the University of Bristol and the University of Eastern Finland examined the diets of 4,700 children from the age of seven.

They later measured the pulse rate and thickness of the arteries leading from the chest to the head when the children were 17 years old.

The results of the study showed that children whose diets were high in calories, fat and sugar and low in fiber at the ages of seven and 10, by age 17, their arteries were lower in childhood calories, fat and sugar. Sweet foods were tougher than those who ate them.