Obese teenage girls at risk from high blood pressure
Being severely overweight poses greater health risks to teenage girls than it does to boys, according to research from the University of California.The study revealed that obese female teenagers were nine times more likely to develop high blood pressure than their male counterparts.
Professor Rudy Ortiz, said: "Overall, there is a higher likelihood that those who present with both higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure will succumb to cardiovascular complications as adults."
In order to reach their conclusions, the researchers studied more than 1,700 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.
Boys who are obese are not immune from high blood pressure, as the study revealed that being overweight put young men at a three-and-a-half times greater risk of developing the condition compared to those with a normal BMI.
A review of medical records from attendees of the Harvard School of Public Health recently revealed that men who were overweight at 18 are a third more likely to develop cancer when they reach middle age.
