A recent study published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that teens with insulin resistance are likely to have heart problems later on in life.

Insulin resistance is a condition that increases your likelihood of developing diabetes. Our bodies use insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, to convert food into energy. Excess body fat makes the body resistant to the action of insulin, which causes the pancreas to produce even more insulin. Eventually the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to convert food to energy.

Insulin resistance plays a role in the development of cardiovascular disease, which damages the heart and blood vessels.

Researchers in the study followed a group of 244 Minneapolis-area teens over a six-year time period. They found that those with increased insulin resistance at age 13 had a corresponding increase in systolic blood pressure and triglycerides by age 19. High blood pressure and elevated triglycerides are two factors that increase the risk for cardiovascular problems such as heart attack or stroke.

How to keep this from happening? First, help your child to maintain a healthy body weight into and beyond early adolescence. Most importantly, encourage regular exercise. Exercise helps the body to use insulin efficiently—and to prevent or reduce insulin resistance.