Being overweight by age 25 increases your risk of serious health problems in no more than a decade . It is the conclusion of a recent study carried out by the universities of New York and Wyoming (USA) and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine .
The researchers analyzed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Study 1999-2010 (NHANES), in order to relate the body mass index (BMI) at 25 years with the risk of obesity with a view to 10 more years and its effect on health. Thus, they found that men who were obese at age 25 had a 23.1% probability of having class III obesity (BMI + 40) after age 35 . For women, the percentage was much higher: a 46.9% probability of being severely obese by the age of 35.
The positive side of the study’s conclusions that link obesity in the twenties as an indicator of cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome, is that losing weight at any stage of life can help reduce it . That is, regardless of the amount of time someone has been overweight, losing it will always help reduce the risk of future health problems.
“The results suggest that the long-term biological risks of obesity are mainly due to the probability of being obese as an adult and not to the length of time that one has been obese. This is, to some extent, good news as it shows that overweight and obese youth can take steps to stop being overweight and can prevent their biological risk factors, ”says Jennifer B. Dowd, study leader.
