A new study shows that children with more developed muscles may have better blood pressure, cholesterol, and body fat than healthy children. More than 1,400 sixth-grade students use a grip gauge to test their strength. According to the study, children with stronger physiques generally have lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.
The strength of children is related to the low levels of "harmful" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides (other blood lipids) in the body, and their "beneficial" levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are higher. Stronger children also have lower blood pressure and blood sugar. What's more, this particular health benefit is linked to the strength of muscles. This is not just because strong children are leaner or they are more active, said researcher Paul Gordon, a research fellow at the Baylor University Health, Human Performance and Recreational Academy.
"Even after you take other factors into account, this association of health and muscle persists," Gordon said. This finding does not prove that strong muscle can bring better health directly, Gordon said. However, he said: "This reveals that children's strength training may be the same as healthy aerobic exercise and is an important predictor."
A pediatrician who reviewed the study agreed with this view. “This shows that children need a stronger heart and stronger muscles,†said Dr. Bradley Berger, a paediatric medical consultant at Stow Goth & White Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas: “I think In fact, we have concluded that children should exercise comprehensively,†Berg said. “This is not only about vascular health, but also about whether it is strong or not.â€
This does not mean that your child needs weight training, Berg and Gordon said. Young children should only perform light weight lifting exercises if they have muscle training until their bones mature, Berg said. No matter how old they are, carrying out any exercise to “strengthen the body with gravity†can increase the strength of the children, Gordon said. This means that climbing the indoor climbing wall, practicing old-fashioned horizontal bars on the playground, or doing push-ups can also enhance your child's strength.
Professor Timothy Church, a professor of preventive medicine at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Los Angeles, said that children do not need to involve weightlifting in activities. "You can also practice yoga," he said. Church is a researcher on the effects of different forms of exercise on adult health. The combination of strength training and aerobic exercise he said, such as swift walking, is better than the effect of lowering blood sugar and gaining weight when performing an exercise alone.
"We believe that this is also true for children," he said. The new discovery is based on more than 1,400 students aged 10 to 12 in 17 Michigan schools. According to their grip test scores, children were divided into three groups according to their strength, medium, and small. Among the boys, the children of the three largest groups had the lowest LDL levels in their body, which was reduced by an average of 10% compared with the children in the three groups who had the lowest energy. In girls, the test results are the same. The level of triglyceride in a stronger child is 20% to 30% lower than that of a lean child.
As for blood pressure and blood sugar, the difference between children is less obvious. On average, children with great strength had slightly lower blood pressure and blood sugar than children with small strength. Why does the strength of the child affect the cholesterol level of the child? "Because muscle metabolism is different from fat or Google," Berg said. "Human muscle is active and burns a lot of calories." He believes that stronger muscles therefore affect blood lipids and blood sugar levels.
The cholesterol and blood pressure of an 11-year-old child may not pose a health threat. The problem is that this phenomenon will continue into adulthood, Gordon said. “Children with risk factors are often more likely to become young adults with risk factors,†he said. Church believes that these findings support the need for all-round development of children's physical education in school. "This is an example of why sports are so important," he said.
The strength of children is related to the low levels of "harmful" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides (other blood lipids) in the body, and their "beneficial" levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are higher. Stronger children also have lower blood pressure and blood sugar. What's more, this particular health benefit is linked to the strength of muscles. This is not just because strong children are leaner or they are more active, said researcher Paul Gordon, a research fellow at the Baylor University Health, Human Performance and Recreational Academy.
"Even after you take other factors into account, this association of health and muscle persists," Gordon said. This finding does not prove that strong muscle can bring better health directly, Gordon said. However, he said: "This reveals that children's strength training may be the same as healthy aerobic exercise and is an important predictor."
A pediatrician who reviewed the study agreed with this view. “This shows that children need a stronger heart and stronger muscles,†said Dr. Bradley Berger, a paediatric medical consultant at Stow Goth & White Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas: “I think In fact, we have concluded that children should exercise comprehensively,†Berg said. “This is not only about vascular health, but also about whether it is strong or not.â€
This does not mean that your child needs weight training, Berg and Gordon said. Young children should only perform light weight lifting exercises if they have muscle training until their bones mature, Berg said. No matter how old they are, carrying out any exercise to “strengthen the body with gravity†can increase the strength of the children, Gordon said. This means that climbing the indoor climbing wall, practicing old-fashioned horizontal bars on the playground, or doing push-ups can also enhance your child's strength.
Professor Timothy Church, a professor of preventive medicine at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Los Angeles, said that children do not need to involve weightlifting in activities. "You can also practice yoga," he said. Church is a researcher on the effects of different forms of exercise on adult health. The combination of strength training and aerobic exercise he said, such as swift walking, is better than the effect of lowering blood sugar and gaining weight when performing an exercise alone.
"We believe that this is also true for children," he said. The new discovery is based on more than 1,400 students aged 10 to 12 in 17 Michigan schools. According to their grip test scores, children were divided into three groups according to their strength, medium, and small. Among the boys, the children of the three largest groups had the lowest LDL levels in their body, which was reduced by an average of 10% compared with the children in the three groups who had the lowest energy. In girls, the test results are the same. The level of triglyceride in a stronger child is 20% to 30% lower than that of a lean child.
As for blood pressure and blood sugar, the difference between children is less obvious. On average, children with great strength had slightly lower blood pressure and blood sugar than children with small strength. Why does the strength of the child affect the cholesterol level of the child? "Because muscle metabolism is different from fat or Google," Berg said. "Human muscle is active and burns a lot of calories." He believes that stronger muscles therefore affect blood lipids and blood sugar levels.
The cholesterol and blood pressure of an 11-year-old child may not pose a health threat. The problem is that this phenomenon will continue into adulthood, Gordon said. “Children with risk factors are often more likely to become young adults with risk factors,†he said. Church believes that these findings support the need for all-round development of children's physical education in school. "This is an example of why sports are so important," he said.
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