London, Feb. 16 -- King's College London researchers have discovered a novel link between lipids and disorders affecting children's metabolism. This finding may provide an early warning system for ailments, including liver disease.

Scientists have developed a novel blood test that uses lipids to identify children who are more susceptible to obesity-related problems, such as type 2 diabetes, liver, and heart disease. The study was published in Nature Medicine.

Lipids have traditionally been thought to be fatty acids in the body, either good or bad types of cholesterol or triglycerides, fats found in the bloodstream that are the most common in the human body.

Recent studies from the same group of scientists have suggested that the pictur...