New research shows overweight teens with normal blood pressure, can still show signs of heart damage. And young men have the most to worry about, in what turns out to be a hormonal issue.

As a football player, it's important to be big. But Kerry Parks worries about what his weight does to his health, "I had some people in my family die of strokes. I got hypertension, you know, heart failure, all types of stuff in my family. So, it does stay on my mind a lot."

So much so, that he recently played a part in a study that found a connection between obesity and high levels of the hormone, aldosterone. "So the aldosterone is in turn related to enlargement of the heart and related to higher blood pressure," says researcher, Dr. Gregory Harshfield.

Even more interesting he says, the findings only applied to overweight teen boys, not girls, "Well, everybody's assuming its estrogen, the protective effects. That may not be the case. It may be because of the negative effects of aldosterone."

The information gives researchers a potentially valuable screening tool. If teen boys have high aldosterone, treating it early could prevent cardiovascular disease in later life. "The take home message is I think and particularly in males, in boys, if you've got obese boys, you need to understand that they are more likely to have cardiovascular problems," says Dr. Harshfield.

"I want to live a long, healthy life, so it does worry me," says Kerry. So he and others need to closely monitor the heart, follow a smart diet and get plenty of exercise.

The results of another study show children with more fat around their midsections could be at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Researchers say routine waist measurements in obese kids, could predict which ones have developed risk factors.