The conclusions of two new studies on the subject appear in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In one study, Boston researchers found that about two-thirds of 1,960 adolescents studied had at least one risk factor for heart disease, and almost 10 percent had a cluster of factors known as "metabolic syndrome."

In the other study, British and Australian investigators looked at parental and early-life characteristics and their association with blood pressure in 5-year-old offspring. The children of women who smoked during pregnancy had higher blood pressure compared to children of nonsmokers, and parents