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Teen Obesity Tied to Adult
Death Risk
A large study links adolescent obesity to an increased risk
of death by middle-age, though the connection seems to be
largely explained by the tendency of obese teens to remain
so as adults.
This persistence of obesity did not fully account for the
higher death risk among women who were obese as teenagers,
however. The finding suggests that adolescent obesity may
in the long run be more harmful for women than men, the
study's lead author, Dr. Anders Engeland stated.
Engeland, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute
of Public Health, and his colleagues gleaned their findings
from data on more than 128,000 residents of Norway surveyed
over four decades.
Because these individuals were followed only into middle
age, only a small percentage had died by the end of follow-up.
Still, people who had a "very high" body mass
index (BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height) as
teenagers had a 30 to 40 percent higher mortality rate,
the researchers report. The average age at death was 46.
The findings appear in the January issue of the journal
Epidemiology.
According to Engeland, adolescent obesity in this study
usually lasted into adulthood, and this persistence accounted
for most of the relationship between high teenage BMI and
premature death.
There was some evidence, he noted, that obese boys who eventually
lost the weight had death risks similar to men who were
normal weight as teens. He added, though, that the data
were "sparse" on this point.
As for women, persistent obesity partially explained the
link between high teenage BMI and premature death -- but
not to the extent seen in men. Even when adult BMI was factored
in, women who were obese as teens were about 30 percent
more likely than those with an average teenage BMI to die
by middle-age.
Engeland had no explanation for the different findings for
men and women. Whatever the reason, he said the findings
suggest that adolescent obesity might have relatively more
harmful long-term effects in women than in men.
Obesity in adulthood is known to increase the risk of a
number of serious medical conditions, including diabetes
and heart disease. The health effects of teen obesity are
less clear, but the rate of type 2 diabetes among U.S. children
and teens has risen in tandem with high BMI.
It's estimated that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of obese
teens become obese adults.
SOURCE: Epidemiology, January 2004.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
Net Reference 89
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