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CNN TodayResearchers Find Early Signs of Heart Disease in Overweight ChildrenAired March 14, 2000 - 1:01 p.m. ETTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: "It's only baby fat." That's a phrase we've all heard, or maybe even used dozens of times. It's been handed down from generation to generation. It's based on the assumption that children can eat what they want, even put on considerable weight, without long-term health consequences. Now, there is new evidence that kind of thinking is not only wrong, but dangerous. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All those burgers, fries and pizzas are filling up teenagers' stomachs and, perhaps, their arteries, as well. In a study of 224 high school students in California, doctors found that one-third were overweight, had high blood pressure or high cholesterol. And when they did ultrasounds on their arteries, these teenagers had thicker artery walls than their healthy classmates. Although not dangerous in itself, thickening of the arteries is the first step towards clogging of the arteries. DR. WILLIAM DIELX, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Obesity in children and teenagers is a problem that we need to worry a lot more about, because, as these individuals grow up to become adults, they're going to develop the diseases that they only now have risk factors for. COHEN: The study is being presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. (on camera): This isn't the first time researchers have found that teenagers, and even children, are showing early signs of heart disease. In fact, it's become so rampant, they are not quite sure what to do about it. (voice-over): One problem: teen attitudes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are young, you are supposed to be, like, invincible; you are supposed to be able to eat whatever you want. COHEN: Another problem: money. The U.S. government does sponsor a program, telling people to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but... DIELX: Five-a-day, which is a very popular nutrition program, runs on a budget of less than $1 million a year. And compare that with the hundreds of millions of dollars that advertisers spend to promote fast food or soft drinks, and you understand why there is a problem. We have not been able to get the message out. COHEN: And experts say they have to get the message out now, or else face higher rates of heart disease later. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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