Parents of overweight teens often feel reassured that the youth
and vitality of their children protects them from the harm of
being overweight, at least until they are older. Looking for
another reason to deal with it now? Research presented at that
2001 Fall Conference of the American Heart Association’s Council
on High Blood Pressure Research showed that blood pressure at
age 13 correlated with the degree of hardening of the arteries
at age 30. For every 10 mm that the blood pressure was higher at
age 13, the arteries were 7 microns thicker only 17 years later.
The slow, ongoing damage to the arteries begins young. Being
overweight was strongly correlated with this damage. Helping
your children get their weight on track is a gift that makes a
difference now.