Teens who smoke or are exposed to smoke when friends and family members light up are at risk for a number of health problems, including cancer, lung disease, and asthma. But recent research indicates that teens exposed to tobacco smoke - especially teens who are overweight or obese - could be at increased risk of metabolic syndrome, too.
People with metabolic syndrome tend to be overweight, have high blood pressure, have abnormal levels of fats in the blood, have problems using the hormone insulin, and have signs of inflammation in parts of the body. Metabolic syndrome is a problem because it puts a person at increased risk for heart disease, stroke and vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. To understand more about teens' risk of metabolic syndrome, researchers asked 2,273 12- to 19-year-olds whether they smoked and whether anyone in their home smoked. The teens also underwent urine testing to check for exposure to nicotine, blood tests to check levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood, and tests to see how well their bodies used insulin to control blood sugar levels. The teens were also weighed, measured, and had their waist sizes measured to determine if they were overweight or obese.
Overall, 43% of teens had been exposed to tobacco smoke at home, and 19% of teens smoked themselves. The higher a teen's body mass index and the more he or she was exposed to tobacco smoke, the greater the likelihood that he or she had developed the metabolic syndrome.
In teens who were overweight or at risk for becoming overweight, about 6% of teens who weren't exposed to tobacco had the metabolic syndrome. But nearly 20% of overweight or at risk for overweight teens exposed to tobacco smoke had the metabolic syndrome. In addition, almost 24% of overweight and at-risk teens who smoked themselves had developed the condition. Even in teens who weren't overweight, the risk of metabolic syndrome was increased if they'd been exposed to tobacco smoke.
What This Means to You: Tobacco smoke exposure is linked to problems with cholesterol, blood clotting, and insulin, and the results of this study indicate that in teens, exposure to tobacco smoke could significantly increase a teen's risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and the health problems that come with it. If you smoke, quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do to improve your health and reduce your child's risk of health problems. If your child smokes, your child's doctor may be able to suggest ways to make it easier for your child to quit.
Source: Michael Weitzman, MD; Stephen Cook, MD; Peggy Auinger, MS; Todd A. Florin, BA; Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD; Michael Nguyen, MD; Jonathan P. Winickoff, MD, MPH; Circulation, August 9, 2005
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: September 2005
