Growth, weight, blood pressure, heart rate and blood were tested in sixteen obese children with an average body mass index (BMI) of more than 26. Dr. Steinhorn and her team used a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and measured CO2 release to identify the anaerobic threshold, or level of exercise that burns the maximum amount of fat, for each subject. Researchers also measured the corresponding heart rate to this level.
Researchers found a direct correlation between high BMI and poor cardiovascular state in the children. They also note that physical activity close to the optimal fat consumption rate can improve metabolic and cardiovascular health in obese children.
Low doses of metformin can prevent girls with insulin resistance from developing PCOS
According to new findings, early use of metformin -- an insulin sensitizer -- in girls with insulin resistance can decrease the progression of PCOS. In young girls, early signs of PCOS, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes as they age, include hyperinsulinemia, exaggerated increase in adrenal gland activity, high cholesterol and upper- body obesity. The new study is the first to show that intervention in young girls can prevent the development of PCOS.
Dr. Lourdes Ibanez and researchers at the University of Barcelona in Spain, treated two groups of low birth weight (LBW) girls with early signs of PCOS. In one group of 28 non-obese, eight-year-old girls who were born with LBW, researchers studied the effects of beginning metformin (425 mg/day) before puberty. The group was randomized to receive metformin or no therapy. In a second group of 13 year old girls, Dr. Ibanez and her team examined the effects of discontinuing metformin therapy after 12 months and watched the metabolic results over the next six months. Again, this group was randomized to receive metformin or no therapy for 12 months.
The results showed that metformin treatment greatly benefits young girls with early insulin resistance. The untreated girls developed more upper body fat and experienced a worsening of endocrine-metabolic markers. Girls who were treated with metformin experienced a reduction in abdominal fat and a normalization of several PCOS markers including cholesterol.
"In the girls who stopped treatment with metformin, all beneficial effects reversed within six months," noted Dr. Ibanez, the lead investigator on the study. "Additionally, girls who began treatment with metformin experienced a rapid improvement in their condition. These results indicate that prepubertal girls can benefit from metformin treatment. At the same time, in both young girls and older adolescents, the discontinuation of metformin treatment can result in a rapid decline in clinical benefits.
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