The You Docs: Get the kids — and you, too! — healthier in 2012
22.05.12
A sobering new study about teens threatened hearts hit us YOU Docs hard. If there are young VIPs in your life, it will rock you, too. Todays teens are developing heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes at a younger age than any generation before them. After 40 years of improvements in Americas heart health, theyre likely to live shorter lives than their parents.
Theres no way to sugarcoat this. More than 70 percent of teens studied already had one or more of these red flags: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides (a menacing blood fat), low levels of healthy HDL cholesterol, lots of excess pounds.
How did kids health problems get so big they need their own ZIP code? Blame the four Ss:
- Sugary drinks and snacks: About 30 percent of teens daily calories now come from them.
- Salt: Kids eat more blood pressure-boosting sodium than any other age group.
- Skipping the good stuff: Only about 20 percent eat five servings of fruit and veggies a day, or enough whole grains.
Source: The Idaho Statesman