Health Updates

Heart Attacks Strike the Young

Willie Henson is the star of the high school track team. He works out regularly, gets plenty of sleep, and does well in school.

Willie's eating habits, however, leave something to be desired. About a third of his weekly calorie intake comes from fast food. Five days a week, he has lunch at a drive-through hamburger stop. The three afternoons a week that Willie works at a local hardware store, he has dinner there, too.

His friends are aware of his fast food "habit." His track teammates affectionately tease him, calling him "Fast-food Man." He takes it all in stride. He knows he's young. He has his entire adult life to turn his eating habits around.

Eat Now, Pay Later?

Then again, does he? He may not, according to study of more than 700 teens and young adults carried out by Louisiana State University. Researchers there found an unexpectedly high number of males between the ages of 15 and 19 were candidates for heart attack and stroke. All had badly clogged arteries. Most also exhibited abnormally high levels of LDL cholesterol (often called the "bad" cholesterol).

These teens are not at risk for some undetermined future time, when they are adults. They are at risk now!

The Heart of the Matter

Your heart needs a regular supply of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to function. These materials are delivered to the heart via the arteries.

When foods high in saturated fat (Willie's much-loved double cheeseburgers, for example) are eaten, some of the fat sticks to the artery walls. They combine with other substances to form plaque, a thick filmy deposit. As plaque builds up, the inside of the artery narrows. Blood can't flow properly. Coronary artery disease results.

Breathing becomes more difficult. If untreated, this condition can and often does lead to a heart attack.

Numbers, Please

Exactly how serious is this problem for teens? The study mentioned earlier noted that 2 percent had advanced deposits of fatty plaque.

You may be saying to yourself "2 percent? That's not such a big deal." If 2 percent doesn't seem so alarming, consider this: The teens in question had the coronary arteries of men in their sixties!

An Ounce of Prevention

The LSU acknowledges there are other risk factors for early death, such as depression. Yet, if their findings hold true, the warnings must be heeded now.

What can you as a teen do? Learn to listen to your body, and know what's best for it. Here are a few healthful tips to help you along the way.

• Watch what you eat. Follow a low-fat, low-cholesterol eating plan. Some foods high in fat are okay once in a while. Just don't overdo it.
• Work those muscles. Moderate, regular physical activity can help lower cholesterol. It is also great for relieving stress and maintaining weight.
• Take it easy. Learn to control stress in your life. Do relaxation exercises, and learn and practice time- and anger-management skills.
• Get tested. Once you reach the age of 20, you should get your cholesterol tested every 5 years Remember, even if you eat fairly healthfully, you still may have high cholesterol. If your level is above 240, you need to bring it down. Physical activity and eating right are the keys.

Just the Facts

1. What is plaque? Where does it come from? What is its role in heart attacks?
2. Name three preventive measures teens can take to listen the risks outlined in the article.

Beyond the Facts

3. Some people will not worry about health statistics that do not seem startling. What would you tell someone who read this article and declared that the study found nothing conclusive for teens to be concerned about?
4. Think about media messages that encourage teens to eat without regard to their health. Which types of messages do you hear or see most often? Who creates these messages? What advice would you have for other teens about fitting these foods into an overall healthful eating plan?

Applying the Facts

Reread the last question in question 4 above. With a group of classmates, take this question a step further. Think of ways of advocating healthful eating among peers that takes into account the findings in the LSU study. You might create a poster, a collage, or a campaign to boost awareness in your school.