Atlanta • Half the nation’s overweight teens have unhealthy
blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar levels that put them
at risk for future heart attacks and other cardiac problems, new
federal research says. And an even larger proportion of obese
adolescents have such a risk, according to the alarming new
numbers. “What this is saying, unfortunately, is that we’re
losing the battle early with many kids,” said Stephen Daniels, a
University of Colorado School of Medicine expert who was not
involved in the study. People can keep their risk of heart
disease very low if they reach age 45 or 50 at normal weight and
with normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol and no diabetes.
So these results are not good, he said. The study was released
Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention research focused on 3,383 adolescents
ages 12 through 19. The youths were part of an intensive
national study that involves interviewing, weighing, measuring
and performing medical tests on peopl