WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- About one in three American teens are physically unfit, facing higher risks for heart disease later in life, said a study to be published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the study, by Mercedes Carnethon and other researchers of the Northwestern University, about 2,200 adolescents aged 12 to 19 were asked to do an 8-minute treadmill test, and 34 percent of them showed a poor level of cardiovascular fitness.
The research also involved 3,100 adults aged 20 to 49. The test participants were all asked to achieve 75 percent to 90 percent of their age-predicted maximum heart rate. About 14 percent of the adults showed a poor level of fitness.
The study found teens and adults with poor fitness were two to four times more likely to be overweight or obese than those in the moderate or high fitness category.
This group also tended to have high levels of bad cholesterol in their blood, high blood pressure and large waists.
The results mean that 7.5 million adolescents and 8.5 million adults in the United States are in bad physical shape and face higher risk for cardiovascular disease and other diseases including diabetes, the report said.
The figures were still conservative because the tests excluded those with high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. Enditem
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