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(Circulation. 2002;105:e9112.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

Obesity a Risk Even in Young Men

Even in men aged 15 to 34 years, obesity is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, according to researchers involved in the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) study in a report in this week’s issue of Circulation (Circulation. 2002;105:2712–2718). Given the current epidemic, this underscores the importance of controlling obesity at all ages to reduce the international burden of coronary heart disease among adults, said the authors, led by Henry C. McGill, Jr, MD, of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.

In the PDAY study, researchers studied collected arteries, blood, and other tissue from approximately 3000 persons aged 15 to 34 years who died of external causes. They found that a high body mass index (BMI) in young men was associated with both fatty streaks and raised lesions in the right coronary artery, along with high American Heart Association lesion grades and stenosis in the left anterior descending artery. High BMI was not associated with coronary atherosclerosis in young women.

In an accompanying survey editorial, F. Scott Grundy, MD, of the Center for Human Nutrition and Departments of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, noted: "Public health efforts to prevent obesity in the general public should be a high national priority. From a clinical viewpoint, attention should focus on those individuals who are susceptible to the development of risk factors and the metabolic syndrome. These individuals will need direct clinical intervention. In some cases, weight reduction and increased physical . . . [Full Text of this Article]