
Children
In 1953, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association radically changed our understanding of the development of heart disease. Researchers conducted autopsies on 300 American casualties of the Korean War, with an average age of around 22. Shockingly, 77 percent of soldiers already had visible evidence of coronary atherosclerosis. Some even had arteries that were blocked off 90 percent or more.
Later studies of accidental death victims aged 3 to 26 found that fatty streaks—the first stage of atherosclerosis—were in nearly all American children by age 10. By the time we reach our 20s and 30s, these fatty streaks can turn into full-blown plaques like those seen in the young American GIs of the Korean War. By the time we’re 40 or 50, they can start killing us off.
Atherosclerosis may start even before birth. Researchers found that the arteries of fetuses whose mothers had high LDL cholesterol levels were more likely to contain arterial lesions, suggesting atherosclerosis may not just start as a nutritional disease of childhood but one during pregnancy.
Childhood obesity and childhood diabetes have risen dramatically. Over recent decades, the number of American children considered to be overweight has increased by more than 100 percent. Children who are obese at age six seem more likely to stay that way, and 75 to 80 percent of obese adolescents may remain obese as adults.
Childhood obesity may be a powerful predictor of adult disease and death. Being overweight as a teenager was found to predict disease risk 55 years later. Such individuals may end up with twice the risk of dying from heart disease and a higher incidence of other diseases, including colorectal cancer, gout, and arthritis. Being overweight as a teen may in fact be an even more powerful predictor of disease risk than being overweight as an adult.
The information on this page has been compiled from Dr. Greger’s research. Sources for each video listed can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab. References may also be found at the back of his books.
Image Credit: Unsplash. This image has been modified.
Popular Videos for Children


Pros and Cons of Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diets for Autism
What did the most comprehensive double-blind study of diet for autism find, and what are...
Best Food to Prevent Common Childhood Infections
The amount of beta-glucan fiber in just a dusting of nutritional yeast a day is...
Best Foods for Autism
The sulforaphane found in five cents’ worth of broccoli sprouts has been shown to benefit...
Fever Benefits for Autism in a Food
Dramatic improvements in autistic children when they have a fever suggest that the disease may...
Arsenic in Infant Rice Cereal
When it comes to rice and rice-based products, pediatric nutrition authorities have recommended that arsenic...
How to Treat Asthma with a Low-Salt Diet
Cutting two teaspoons of salt’s worth of sodium from one’s daily diet can significantly improve...
Meat Consumption & the Development of Type 1 Diabetes
Eating meat during breastfeeding is associated with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes, perhaps...
Is Obesity Infectious?
Given the role our gut bacteria can play in affecting our weight, having family and...
Should All Children Have Their Cholesterol Checked?
The current generation of American kids may be one of the first generations to be...
Does Casein in Milk Trigger Type 1 Diabetes?
Why might exposure to bovine proteins increase the risk of childhood-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes?
Animal Protein, Pregnancy, and Childhood Obesity
What pregnant women eat may affect even the health of their grandchildren.
Does Bovine Insulin in Milk Trigger Type 1 Diabetes?
Is it the casein or the cow insulin that explains the link between milk consumption...
Maternal Diet May Affect Stress Responses in Children
Single meals can affect testosterone and cortisol (stress hormone) levels. Some foods eaten regularly during...
Heart Disease May Start in the Womb
Fatty streak formation occurs in human fetal arteries and is linked to the pregnant mother’s...
Flame-Retardant Pollutants and Child Development
PBDE fire-retardant chemicals in the food supply may contribute to attention and cognitive deficits in...
Formula for Childhood Obesity
Feeding infants cow’s milk formula may adversely alter metabolic programming.
How to Prevent Prediabetes in Children
Prediabetes is a disease in and of itself, associated with early damage to the eyes,...
Childhood Constipation and Cow’s Milk
The elimination of all dairy products was found to cure constipation in up to 100%...
Preventing Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables
A study involving more than a million kids suggests the striking worldwide variation in childhood...
Heart Disease Starts in Childhood
By age 10, nearly all kids have fatty streaks in their arteries. This is the...All Videos for Children
-
Is Six Hours of Sleep Enough?
Just because we don’t have evidence that there is a growing epidemic of sleep deprivation doesn’t necessarily mean we are getting enough sleep.
-
Plant-Based Pregnancy Outcomes and Breast Milk
The composition of breast milk is compared between vegetarian and nonvegetarian women.
-
How Much Erythritol Sweetener Is Too Much?
What are the maximum acute and daily doses for adults and children to avoid gastrointestinal effects?
-
Does Getting Enough Sleep Help You Lose Weight?
Even getting just one more hour of sleep a night may help with weight control.
-
Does Lack of Sleep Cause You to Gain Weight?
Those randomized to 8.5 hours of sleep a night lost significantly more body fat than those who got 5.5 hours.
-
How to Avoid the Boomerang Effect of Remedy Messaging
How can mandating healthy eating messaging on fast-food ads ironically make things worse?
-
The Side Effects of Burning Incense
Burning incense has been found to generate about four times the particulate matter as burning cigarettes.
-
Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Guts of Vegetarians vs. Meat-Eaters
Those eating plant-based have a reduced load of antibiotic resistance genes in their gut.
-
The Impacts of Weight Bias in Health Care
How might weight stigma be a vicious cycle?
-
Weight Bias: Hating Their Guts
How common is weight stigmatization in health care?