Young and Overweight? Your Heart May Suffer

Young adults who are overweight are at high risk for high blood pressure and damage to the heart, just like older adults. According to a study from the U.K.'s University of Bristol, the correlation between a high BMI (body mass index) and cardiovascular issues applies to young people, too. To come to their conclusions, researchers studied data collected from over 3,000 young people born during the '90s, who were 17 years old when the study took place. Researchers also looked at the cardiovascular scans of 400 high-risk, 21-year-old adults. The 17-year-olds' average BMI was in the so-called "healthy" range. The average blood pressure of the group was also in the range considered "healthy" (under 130 mmHg for a systolic reading and under 80 mmHg for a diastolic reading).  In general, young adults who had higher BMIs in the study also had a better chance of developing high blood pressure. They additionally found that having a high BMI correlates to a higher left ventricular mass index (meaning the left ventricle of the heart is enlarged). This means that the young adults who weighed more correspondingly had more blood pumping through their bodies every minute. Over time, this may lead to a variety of heart issues, including a thickened heart muscle and high blood pressure. According to a Harvard Medical School researcher, this may be because those at a higher weight have bodies with higher metabolic demands. They may also have more inflammation due to their increased amount of fat cells.