Nearly 1 million U.S. teenagers suffer from a syndrome associated with being overweight that makes them unusually prone to diabetes and premature heart disease later in life. At least four percent of American adolescents have developed "metabolic syndrome," a constellation of risk factors for subsequent health problems.
Previous studies found that 22 percent of U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, but no one had assessed the prevalence of the disorder in teenagers.
Washington Post August 12, 2003; Page A01