Teens & Heart Health

When it comes to heart disease there is one group in particular that is setting themselves up for problems later on.

We're talking about teenagers and unfortunately many of them are leading lives that will take a toll on their heart later on.

As a matter of fact some experts estimate that less than half of adolescents here in the U.S. live what could be considered heart healthy lives. that means they tend to have poor diets and don't exercise much. These habits could be setting up a new future generation of heart-disease patients.

In the latest study looking into this, researchers found that 80% of teenagers had poor diets that were high in fast foods, processed foods and sugar sweetened drinks. They also didn't eat many fruits and vegetables. They also found that less than half the teen girls in the study and slightly more than half of the boys exercised for an hour or more per day.

They are saying this should be a wake-up call for all of us since in 3 to 4 decades these same teens will be the ones bearing the brunt of their bad eating and exercising habits.

Making small changes now, especially for kids even younger than this, should hopefully reverse this trend. Getting them to eat better and exercise more, especially by setting the example ourselves, can go a long way towards keeping their heart healthy later on.