work harder, increasing the amount of blood it has to pump and the pressure it needs to pump against, the researchers explained.
These changes can trigger an increase in heart muscle mass, explained Dr. Gregg Fonarow, director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center in Los Angeles.
Usually, the thickening of blood vessel walls is the first sign of atherosclerosis, a disease commonly known as “hardening of the arteries” that causes fatty plaques to build up within the arteries and block blood flow.
But the new study shows that young people who are overweight may develop even earlier warning signs of heart trouble.
“Our findings suggest that higher BMIs cause changes in the heart structure of the young that may precede changes in blood vessels,” Wade explained.
Obese young people are at higher risk for