Other evidence indicates that the increased risk of disease for minorities is evident very early in life. A study of 23 year old young men found that compared to whites of similar BMI, body fat, fitness, renal function, blood lipids and glucose levels, black men had comparable brachial blood pressure (BP), but greater central blood pressure, greater augmentation of central BP from wave reflections, and greater macrovascular and microvascular dysfunction reflected in increased central artery stiffness and reduced peripheral endothelial function.20 A recent report from a longitudinal birth cohort study of 8,550 children in the U.S. provided further evidence that racial differences in risk factors are established early.21 By age 4, 13% of Asians and 16% of whites were obese, compared to 21% of blacks, 22% of Hispanics and 31% of American Indians. Neither of these studies included adjustment for SES.
