Research: Today's Overweight Teens Will Be Younger Cardiac Patients

DETROIT (WWJ) - Some alarming numbers came out about overweight teens, with new federal research showing 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.

Providence Hospital's Dr. Isaac Grinberg, M.D., says the problems stem from education and lifestyle.

"Teenagers, generally, are not as active as they used to be in previous generations - probably social media; teenagers sitting at the computer, for hours upon hours," the cardiologist said.

He says the evidence is in: Lack of physical activity and poor diets are contributing to an unhealthy weight for some teens. Almost 9 million teens were overweight in 2000, in the latest Centers for Disease Control study, triple the numbers from 1980.

Grinberg says the new research shows the teens are actually developing  problems earlier, which will make them younger cardiac patients.