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ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Children who are on the path toward obesity have some worrisome cardiovascular disease risk factors as young as age 7, according to researchers tracking early childhood weight fluctuations.

A key element of the study was the "BMI rebound." After babies are born, many have what is commonly known as baby fat and can appear pudgy. Heading into the toddler period, they become taller and leaner, with their body mass index dropping.

Usually between ages 4 and 7, children start putting on weight in a way that increases their body mass index. The point at which the BMI ceases to drop and starts to rise again is called the BMI rebound, the researchers said.

The study showed that children who reached this BMI rebound early -- starting to put on excess weight soonest -- experienced cardiovascular red flags by age 7.

Those with the earliest age of BMI rebound, starting at age 4, were more likely to have high blood pressure and elevated left ventricular mass, known to be a major risk factor for heart disease in adults, the researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

Girls registered a slightly earlier BMI rebound than boys, leaving them at a bit higher risk because they started gaining weight earlier, they said.

"We're seeing adverse cardiovascular risk factors developing in early childhood," cardiologist Dr. Thomas Kimball, who headed the study, told reporters.

"We have an obesity epidemic in children. One way to look at this is that the obesity epidemic of kids today is going to be the heart disease epidemic 20 years from now."anwei bia

Kimball said previous research showed that the earlier children hit the BMI rebound, the more likely they were to become obese later in life.

Ways to address the problem are well known, Kimball said, including a more healthful diet, more exercise and less sedentary time watching TV or playing video games.

"It's the same old thing. But the frustrating thing about that is getting people to actually practice it," he said. "It's a family phenomenon. It's not just the child's problem. Most of the time, the parents have a weight problem as well. The whole family has to get on board."

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