A Disturbing Trend

Heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are on the rise. Lifestyle induced disease is becoming a major concern.

In teens . . .

A 12-year-old boy weighing 300 was hospitalized for a heart attack. His weight exacerbated irregular breathing and underlying heart disease, said Dr. Scott Lazar, who treated the boy at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.

A 14-year-old girl weighing 290 struggles to walk and has signs of impending diabetes and heart disease. Her West Palm Beach cardiologist, Patricia Scherron, said: "I told her, 'When you look around and see people with their limbs amputated, that's going to be you some day.' We need to get through to her."

A 13-year-old boy weighing 350 has been on blood pressure medicine since age 9, Scherron said.

This blows me away.

One-quarter of obese children ages 5 to 10 have early signs of heart disease, and one-tenth of teens have fat deposits in their arteries that can lead to heart attacks

And this . . .

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges physicians to start screening children for weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and diet at age 2, but many don't

Where are the parents of these kids?