MONDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, and it doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman.

The latest research confirming earlier studies says that women with "apple"-shaped figures are at higher risk for cardiovascular death while obese men -- even if they are aerobically fit -- are at increased risk for coronary disease.

Those are just two messages appearing in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, which this week places its focus on the perils of obesity.

"Throughout the world, obesity has become an epidemic," Dr. Robert Eckel, AHA president-elect and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver told reporters Monday at a special news conference. "Obesity does relate to more cardiovascular disease development," he said.

Research shows that individuals who are obese are more likely to have a number of cardiovascular-related disorders, including hypertension, blood clots and congestive heart failure -- not to mention cancer, degenerative joint disease and gallbladder disease.

Experts are increasingly realizing that the key to keeping weight off lies in childhood. But, according to a statement appearing in the journal, the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents has almost quadrupled from less than 5 percent in the 1980s to about 16 percent today. In some populations, such as African-American girls and Hispanics, that prevalence may be even higher.

Actual cardiovascular problems in this population won't arise for years or even decades, experts say. "If we have a group of children who are becoming more overweight, they are at the beginning of this pipeline that results in disease further down the road," explained Dr. Stephen R. Daniels, lead author of the statement and professor of pediatrics and environmental health at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.

That's not to say many of these kids will not have health problems when they are young. Many already suffer from elevated blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes.

Regardless of when problems begin, prevention needs to start immediately. "It's clear that if we want to start preventive efforts, we should start earlier," Daniels said. Perhaps even soon after birth, since studies suggest breastfeeding during this period can reduce the chances of a child becoming overweight later on.

"The message from the scientific statement is that prevention should begin in childhood and must include a variety of agencies, and this includes schools, the food industry, the entertainment industry, and the built environment," Daniels said. Children need to be encouraged early on to engage in physical activity, he said.

Another study found that almost two-thirds (62 percent) of teenagers who were both heavy and insulin-resistant had two or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, compared with only 8 percent of teens without these two risk factors. Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes.

Obesity and insulin resistance don't always go hand-in-hand, however. According to the researchers, some thin teens were insulin-resistant while a few heavy teens were healthily insulin-sensitive. The authors found that thin, insulin-sensitive teens had the healthiest profile, followed by thin, insulin-resistant teens and heavy, insulin-sensitive teens. Heavy, insulin-resistant teens had the worst health profile and the highest risk.

"Insulin resistance seems to be independent to a certain degree from obesity, although they are related," said Dr. Alan R. Sinaiko, lead author of the study and professor of pediatrics and nephrology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

In other findings, a Danish study suggests a certain body shape predisposes women to cardiovascular risk.

Among postmenopausal women, those with a large waist circumference plus elevated levels of a blood fat called triglycerides faced a fivefold increased risk of fatal cardiovascular events compared with women who did not have these characteristics, the researchers found.

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