Teenagers who smoke and are around second-hand smoke are putting themselves at more risk for of metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and pre-diabetes according to a study printed in the medical journal "Circulation" Monday.

"This is the first study to link this syndrome, which most people associate with obesity, to secondhand smoke," Dr. Michael Weitzman of the University of Rochester in New York, who led the study told Reuters.

"All things equal, you are almost five times more likely to develop the metabolic syndrome if you are exposed to secondhand smoke," Weitzman adds. "Active smoking increases the risk to at least six times that of a non-exposed individual."

At least 2,273 adolescents aged 12 to 19 took part in the study which reveals 5.6 percent of adolescents had metabolic syndrome, including 1.2 percent of those with no exposure to smoke.

The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It's estimated that about 47 million U.S. adults have it.

The syndrome is closely associated with a generalized metabolic disorder called insulin resistance, in which the body can't use insulin efficiently.