Ages 17 to 29: A Critical Life Stage
Obesity Before Age 30 Raises Mortality Rates
by 79% for Men and 84% for Women
A study has found that becoming obese in the late teens or twenties can nearly double the risk of early death.
A study has found that weight gain in the late teens and twenties affects early mortality rates. Photo by Pixabay
According to the British daily The Times, research results were presented at the recent European Congress on Obesity held in Malaga, Spain. The study tracked weight changes and analyzed mortality rates among approximately 620,000 adults, including 258,269 Swedish men and 361,784 Swedish women. The average follow-up period was 23 years for men and 12 years for women. During this time, 86,673 men and 20,976 women died.
The study found that individuals who gained weight during young adulthood had a much higher mortality rate than those who became obese in middle age. On average, participants aged 17 to 60 gained about 1 pound (approximately 0.45 kg) per year. For each 1-pound (0.4536 kg) increase in weight in early adulthood, the risk of early death increased by more than 20%.
Specifically, men and women who became obese before the age of 30 had a 79% and 84% higher likelihood, respectively, of dying during the study period compared to those who maintained a healthy weight when young. However, there were differences by gender. For women, weight gain increased the risk of cancer death regardless of when in life the weight was gained.
The causes of death identified included heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, kidney cancer, and uterine cancer. These diseases are known to be associated with obesity.
Obesity increased the risk of early death at all stages of life, but the degree of risk increase diminished with age. Becoming obese between the ages of 30 and 45 increased the risk by 52%, while becoming obese between 45 and 60 increased the overall risk by about 25%.
The researchers identified the ages of 17 to 29 as a "critical life stage." They emphasized that maintaining a healthy weight during this period is important for preventing future diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Tanja Stocks, associate professor of epidemiology at Lund University in Sweden and lead author of the study, explained that gaining weight at a young age results in a longer period of exposure to excess fat. She stated, "Even a small increase in weight in your twenties, if it persists for several years, can significantly raise your risk of early death. Developing healthy habits during this important stage of life can provide long-term benefits."
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