Obesity and Smoking Risk for Teen Hearts

A new study shows that smoking and obesity increase the risk of cardiovascular problems among teenagers. Teens who are both obese and smokers or are exposed to tobacco smoke are at an even greater risk of heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Michael Weitzman, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, led the research team that looked at data on 2,273 teenagers aged 12 to 19 and tried to establish the relationship between smoking, obesity and metabolic syndrome – a condition characterized by high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and high blood sugar, that increases the risk of cardiovascular problems.

The study, published in the Aug. 2 issue of "Circulation", is the first to link tobacco smoke exposure to the metabolic syndrome. Overall, 5.6 of the adolescents under study had metabolic syndrome.

The marker for exposure to tobacco smoke was the level of cotinine in the blood. Metabolic syndrome was present in 1.2 percent of teens not exposed to smoke, in 5.4 percent of those exposed to second-hand smoke and in 8.7 percent of smokers.

The greatest risk was found in teenagers who are both overweight and exposed to smoke. Matthew L. Meyers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, finds the results disturbing, because they prove that exposure to smoke as a child may have dangerous heart disease consequences in the long run.

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