Benefits of Physical Activity on Cardiometabolic Diseases in Obese Children and Adolescents

J Transl Int Med. 2022 Sep 30;10(3):236-245. doi: 10.2478/jtim-2022-0041. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Abstract

In the past few decades, obesity in the pediatric population has dramatically increased and is common in many countries. Childhood obesity often causes health problems and increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, nonalcohol fatty liver, and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity in young people has been closely associated with environmental, behavioral, and genetic defects, including the availability of high-energy and sugary food and beverages, sedentary behavior, and hereditary factors. Few drugs are currently available to treat obesity in children and adolescents because it is difficult to demonstrate the safety of these drugs on the growth and development of the youth. Lifestyle modifications, such as diet control and physical exercise, are the primary approaches for preventing and treating childhood obesity. Among them, physical activity is a crucial component. This review summarizes the epidemiology, cardiometabolic risk of obesity, therapeutic strategies, and the benefits of exercise on obesity-related chronic diseases in children and adolescents.

Keywords: cardiometabolic diseases; lifestyle modification; pediatric obesity; physical exercise; sedentary behavior.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2020YFA0803800 to Li J), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82020108002 and 81911540486 to Xiao J, No. 82170390 to Gao J), the grant from Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 20DZ2255400 and 21XD1421300 to Xiao J, No. 21ZR1422700 to Gao J), and the “Dawn” Program of Shanghai Education Commission (No. 19SG34 to Xiao J).