Heavy teens have higher risk of early death

NEW YORK – According to a large study published on Monday, the heavier a woman is at the age of 18, the greater is her risk of dying prematurely.

The study of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health claims that a girl in her teens who is obese has a much greater chance of dying during middle age than a teenage girl of normal weight. Life expectancy is being thought to come down in the years to come as childhood obesity in many parts of the world on the increase.

In much of the developed world, and some parts of the developing world, teenage obesity is growing at an alarming rate. In the USA 15.5% of teenagers are overweight.

The study, carried out by Dr. Frank Hu, and team, has been published in The Annals of Internal Medicine. According to Dr. Hu, the study underscores the importance of childhood obesity. He stressed that childhood obesity not only affects the health of children, it is also a significant contributory factor towards death in adulthood.

Dr. Hu said "The link between childhood obesity and premature death is an important public-health issue. Prevention at early ages is an important strategy to combat this problem."

This study looked at 102,400 women in the Nurses Health Study 2. At the start of the study period, the women were aged 24-44. They had all filled a questionnaire which included their weight when they were 18. They were followed up for 12 years. During these 12 years 710 of them died.

They were also about twice as likely to commit suicide.

The researchers found that those who were obese at 18 were three times as likely to die at middle age compared to those who were of normal weight at 18. This was after adjustments had been made for such factors as cigarette smoking, alcohol use and physical activity during adolescence.

Women who were overweight at 18 were 66 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who were thin, while obesity at age 18 nearly tripled the risk of dying in young by middle-age.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston report the findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Hu also mentioned that although overweight and obese teens are likely to remain so as adults, adulthood weight did not completely explain the link between teenage weight and premature death.

This suggests that childhood obesity itself has lasting health effects, he said further adding, "and it's not clear whether weight loss later in life erases the damage.”

"Losing weight can certainly reduce the risks," Hu said, "but whether it completely eliminates them is unclear."

Also, these weight-related risks remained when the researchers factored in lifestyle habits like smoking, exercise and alcohol use.

The study also mentions that it's possible that excess body fat in adolescence has specific and lasting effects on the metabolic or cardiovascular systems that contribute to premature death.

At the end, the researchers say, β€œthe findings once again highlight the need for obesity prevention early in life.” Health consequences often do not take years to emerge, Hu said, as heavy children can develop serious problems like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.