A new study finds a condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a more important risk factor for future heart disease than obesity. The UCSD study examined the risk profile of obese children. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
UCSD researchers studied 300 overweight children. Those who had fatty liver disease had much higher levels of insulin and cholesterol, and had higher blood pressure, as well. It's believed about half of all obese children have fatty liver disease. UCSD researcher Jeffrey Schwimmer says the problem is it's under-diagnosed.
Schwimmer: The majority of children are not identified. One major reason for that is that most children with fatty liver disease do not have symptoms.
Dr. Schwimmer says another challenge is about one out of five kids with the disease have a normal body weight. Schwimmer recommends broader screening for fatty liver disease.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
