Many Children with Normal Body Weight Have Hidden Body Fat: Study

Millions of children have hidden body fat and are at risk of dying from heart diseases and diabetes, warns a study.

A recent health survey found many British children with sedentary habits have fat accumulating in their organs. These children are mostly categorized as healthy with normal body weight compared to 30 percent of school goers with high BMI levels. The study reports suggest more than a million children who appear slim and fit are neglected and less targeted for weight reduction strategies. Experts classify this group of children as 'Thin on the outside and fat on the inside' or TOFI.

"This matters because the more fat you have, compared to muscle, the more likely you are to develop type 2 Diabetes and coronary heart disease in later life," David McCarthy researcher and professor at the London Metropolitan University told the Daily Mail.

"If they maintain their body composition into adulthood, or it gets worse, they are going to be at risk of these diseases," he adds.

Their research involved 1,000 school children who underwent Tanita bio-electrical impedance machine test that measures overall fat content and muscle mass by passing mild electric current in the body. Almost 15 percent of the subjects with normal BMI had fat deposits on their vital organs, limbs and brain. The findings also identified one volunteer with 29 percent of body fat.

In addition, the study noted one in every ten participants labeled as obese and overweight actually had proportionate muscle and fat mass in the body. The authors believe this methods must be employed in schools to reveal real health status of children and design early treatment plans to avert risk of obesity and related conditions.

"We need to see inside children with sophisticated scientific equipment to find hidden fat otherwise we are failing to address a growing problem," said Tam Fry from the National Obesity Forum, reports the Telegraph.