Parents of overweight teens often feel reassured that the youth and vitality of their children protects them from the harm of being overweight, at least until they are older. Looking for another reason to deal with it now? Research presented at that 2001 Fall Conference of the American Heart Association’s Council on High Blood Pressure Research showed that blood pressure at age 13 correlated with the degree of hardening of the arteries at age 30. For every 10 mm that the blood pressure was higher at age 13, the arteries were 7 microns thicker only 17 years later. The slow, ongoing damage to the arteries begins young. Being overweight was strongly correlated with this damage. Helping your children get their weight on track is a gift that makes a difference now.