Originally published September 30 2005
Teens with excess body fat may be damaging their own blood vessels
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Teenagers who carry excess body fat are more likely to have reduced blood vessel elasticity, which can contribute significantly to the risk of stroke or heart attack in later life.
Even teenagers who aren't overweight can show signs of cardiovascular damage if they carry excess body fat.
As early as age 13 teens showed evidence of reduced blood vessel elasticity -- an early warning sign of heart and vascular disease in adults.
The teens who weighed the most appeared to have the greatest risk.
But even those who were not considered obese or even overweight showed evidence of reduced blood vessel function.
Pediatric cardiologist Stephen Daniels, MD, says the study offers some of the best evidence yet that carrying excess body fat early in life can lead to the blood vessel damage that is a major cause of heart attack and stroke.
Daniels is a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
"These findings are less of a surprise than a confirmation that this process begins early," he tells WebMD.
Recent national statistics found that roughly one in four children examined by pediatricians today is either obese or at high risk of becoming obese.
Being overweight is one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease in adults, but the risks associated with being overweight during childhood and adolescence are not well understood.
The newly reported study involved 471 teens between the ages of 13 and 15 who were evaluated for well-known heart disease risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin resistance, and body fat (as measured by skin-fold thickness).
Known by the medical term distensibility, reduced blood vessel stretchiness has been shown to be a key early marker of heart and vascular disease in adults.
The study was not designed to address the role of weight loss in reducing the vessel damage associated with being overweight or obese early in life.
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