Are Obese Teens Destined for Heart Attacks?
June 3, 2004 -- Amanda Jonnet weighs nearly 300 pounds and has struggled with her weight for a good portion of her 16 years.
"Doctors always told me, 'You've got to lose weight,' " said the teen, who lives in a suburb of Pittsburgh. "There was a time I gained 20 pounds in one month, and I was 10 years old, and my doctor was like, 'Amanda, you can't do this.' "
Steven Jonnet, her father, said he tried everything to help his daughter, to no avail.
"It was constantly trying to have her lose the weight on diets, even ordered programs over the TV," he said. "Nothing would work, and I didn't know how to help her."
His daughter said that she simply couldn't limit her eating.
"I was always hungry," Amanda said. "They'd say, 'Eat a cup of rice.' I'd look at this cup of rice — I'd even put it on a smaller plate so I felt like I was eating more, and I'd sit there after dinner and I'd be like, 'I'm so hungry.' "
By age 12, Amanda had already tried diet pills and was attending Weight Watchers. She is far from alone, but doctors say extra pounds are dangerous, even for children, who are more likely to suffer further potentially fatal health problems at a younger age.
"The bigger they are, the higher the early death rate, and it's usually a cardiovascular-related death, heart attack or stroke," said Dr. Philip Schauer, an obesity specialist at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. "Teenagers who have this problem now — that continue to increase or stay the same in terms of their weight — will likely have a much higher risk of premature death."
Larger, Flabbier Hearts
As children gain weight, changes happen in their bodies. The heart may get larger and flabbier, making it harder for it to pump blood. The pancreas releases more insulin, and blood pressure skyrockets, which causes arteries to get thicker and stiffer. Just as occurs in adults, the arteries clog with deadly fat, all of which makes kids vulnerable to early heart attack and stroke.
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