04 | 26 | 2008 Posted By Regan Zambri & Long

Male Heart Disease Risk Begins in Teen Years: New Study

The first biological indication that a man will face a higher risk of heart disease than a woman of equivalent age appears as early as adolescence, according to new research published in the medical journal Circulation.   The finding is somewhat unexpected, as boys tend to lose body fat and gain muscle during adolescence, while girls tend to gain body fat.

This latest study, led by Dr. Antoinette Moran of the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, involved more than 500 Minneapolis school children between the ages of 11 and 19, and at the onset of the study, the 11-year old girl and boy participants were roughly similar in body composition health status. 

As researchers expected, throughout the duration of the study, girls added more body fat while boys tended to lose it.  Surprisingly, however, levels of triglycerides (blood fat associated with heart disease) increased in the boys over time, though decreasing among girls.  At the same time, levels of LDL cholesterol (often referred to as "good" cholesterol) rose in girls while declining among boys.  Additionally, insulin resistance, another indicator of heart disease risk, was found to be lower among 11-year-old boys than among 11-year-old girls, but by age 19, the boys were more insulin-resistant than the girls. 

The study illustrates the vital role hormonal factors play in determining the likelihood of cardiovascular disease risk.  According to authors of the study, women have long appeared to have extra protection from heart disease -- protection that diminishes after menopause.  This study lends weight to the idea that hormones are a particularly important piece of the heart disease puzzle.  They also note that it is never too early to begin protecting oneself against heart disease risk factors.  Fighting obesity in the childhood and adolescent years, they advise, is essential to good heart health.

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