Health: "Tofi" children at risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes, say scientists

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One million British children classed as healthy by the Government's official statistics are dangerously unfit, according to shocking new research.

Academics warn that an epidemic of inactivity means many slim-looking children have 'hidden' fat which puts them at risk of an early death from type 2 diabetes or heart disease.

They warn that a national schools strategy to monitor children's health is failing to identify many of those at risk because it does not officially class them as overweight.

It uses a measurement known as body mass index (BMI), which estimates the number of overweight or obese school-age children at about three million - nearly 30 per cent of all five- to 18-year-olds.

But the latest research, using a more accurate method to measure actual body fat, indicates one million more children are carrying too much fat around their internal organs.

It provides mounting evidence that Britain is facing a childhood obesity crisis - and suggests the Olympic legacy of 2012 is failing to create healthier and more active young people. The scientists have described a generation of 'Tofi' kids - who are 'Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...Inside-1m-fit-children-face-hidden-risks.html
 
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