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Some children inherit unhealthy blood profiles, while others have a medical condition such as a liver or kidney disease, that causes these problems. In the United States, however, where fast-food diets and sedentary lifestyles are commonplace, the most prevalent causes for cholesterol and blood pressure problems in children are poor diet, obesity and inactivity.
Some 15 percent of all children and adolescents (aged 6 to 9) in the United States are overweight, almost double the rate of two decades ago, according to a 2004 report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One quarter of all Massachusetts high school students are overweight or at risk for being overweight.
As a result of growing obesity rates in children, Type 2 diabetes, a condition typically associated with older adults that can lead to heart disease, is also becoming more and more common in children.
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