Being overweight as a young adult may cause higher blood pressure and thicker heart muscle, setting the stage for cardiovascular (CVD) disease in later life, a new study has found. The findings, published in the journal Circulation, suggests a higher body mass index (BMI), among the study participants, resulted in higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The researchers also found being overweight also caused enlargement of the left ventricle -- the heart's main pumping chamber.

"Our results support efforts to reduce body mass index to within a normal, healthy range from a young age to prevent later heart disease," said lead author Kaitlin H. Wade from the University of Bristol Medical School in Britain.