Obese Children More
Likely to Die Prematurely – Overweight Teens Pass Away At a Younger Age
– Nurses Health Study II
July 17th 2006
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Harvard researchers say that overweight children have an increased risk
of premature death. The researchers found that being overweight at 18
years of age is associated with an increased risk of premature death in
younger and middle-aged women.
The data was extrapolated from 102,400 participants in the Nurses Health
Study II, launched in 1989. The study participants were all between the
ages of 24 and 44. They were asked what their weights were at age 18
and from this the researchers calculated their body mass index (BMI).
The BMI is weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in
meters.
Rob van Dam said “Our findings add to studies on overweight in
middle-aged and older populations by providing insight into the impact
of adolescent overweight on adult mortality." Van Dam is a research
scientist in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH and lead author of the
study.
The nurses were asked other questions concerning their disease history,
alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise. They found that women with a
higher BMI at 18 consumed more alcohol, smoked more and were less likely
to engage in vigorous physical activity during adolescence.
During the 12 year follow-up, 710 participants died. The women with the
higher BMI at the age of 18 had a higher risk of dying prematurely. That
was true even for moderately overweight adolescents. The major causes
of death included cancer (258 deaths) and cardiovascular disease (55
deaths). There were 144 deaths from external causes, and interestingly
suicide was the “most common” cause (61 deaths).
Even after adjusting for smoking, the results indicated that the higher
BMI at age 18, the more likely the woman would die prematurely. Another
key finding was that BMI at age 18 was a strong predictor of BMI in 1989
when women were, on average, 34 years old. Still, BMI in 1989 only
partly explained the association between BMI at age 18 and premature
death. In other words, being overweight as an adult couldn't fully
explain why women died prematurely. Health effects of being overweight
are specific to younger ages, differences in location of fat deposition,
or long-term exposure to metabolic effects of being overweight may
explain this finding.
The study appears in the July 18, 2006 issue of the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
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