(Press-News.org) Ann Arbor, MI, May 6, 2014 – Exposure to long-term obesity has become more common with increases in obesity at younger ages. Researchers examined the relationship between BMI at age 25, obesity later in life, and biological indicators of health. They found that people who were obese by age 25 had a higher chance of more severe obesity later in life, but that current weight, rather than the duration of obesity, was a better indicator of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Their findings are published in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Investigators looked at data from the 1999-2010 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and found that men who were obese at age 25 had a 23.1% estimated probability of class III obesity (defined as a BMI greater than 40) after age 35, while men of a normal weight at age 25 only had a 1.1% chance of severe obesity after age 35. For women, the statistics were even more dramatic with the likelihood of class III obesity jumping to 46.9% if obese at age 25, compared to just 4.8% for those at a normal weight.
While this seems to be a bleak projection for those battling obesity, the study also revealed some more hopeful findings. Examining the effects of long-term obesity, the study showed that present weight, as opposed to the duration of obesity, was a much better indicator of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. This means that losing weight at any stage may help reduce risks, regardless of how long a person has been overweight.
"The current findings suggest that the biological risks of longer-term obesity are primarily due to the risk of more severe obesity later in life among those obese early in life, rather than the impact of long-term obesity per se," explains study lead author Jennifer B. Dowd, PhD, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health, Hunter College. "This is good news in some respects, as overweight and obese young adults who can prevent additional weight gain can expect their biological risk factors to be no worse than those who reach the same level of BMI later in life."
Although the study found that current weight was a better indicator of risk than the length of obesity, it is still significant that those obese at 25 years were more likely to be morbidly obese in middle age. By being more likely to reach severe levels of obesity, they are more susceptible to complications such as hypertension, inflammation, and diabetes. Also, investigators admit that long-term obesity may play a role in other chronic conditions.
"Duration of obesity may still have important implications for mobility and musculoskeletal disease, research questions that should be investigated. Prevention of weight gain at all ages should thus be a clinical and public health priority," adds study co-author Anna Zajacova, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wyoming.
As the obesity epidemic continues to unfold, studies like this give us better insight into both the short and long-term effects of being overweight, as well as a model to predict those who are most at risk later in life.
"This study adds to growing evidence that in terms of traditional cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic risk, obesity duration confers little additional risk beyond the current level of attained weight," concludes Dr. Dowd. "The bad news, in turn, is that maintaining a stable level of obesity from a young age is not the norm, and being obese at age 25 years places individuals at risk of a much more severe level of obesity later in life compared to those who are normal weight at age 25 years."
INFORMATION:
Early obesity linked to increased probability of severe obesity later in life
Being obese at age 25 increases risk for serious weight problems over 35 years of age according to new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
2014-05-06
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Factors leading to diabetes may contribute to milk supply problems for new mothers
2014-05-06
New studies provide fresh evidence that the same factors that lead to diabetes contribute to low milk supply in some new mothers.
In a study to be presented May 5, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center researchers discovered that problems with mothers' insulin metabolism may affect their milk production. The study found that women diagnosed with low milk supply were 2.5 times more likely to have experienced gestational diabetes compared to women seen at the clinic solely because their infants were having problems latching onto the breast.
"We need to better ...
Having eczema may reduce your risk of skin cancer
2014-05-06
Eczema caused by defects in the skin could reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, according to new research by King's College London. The immune response triggered by eczema could help prevent tumour formation by shedding potentially cancerous cells from the skin.
There is ongoing debate surrounding allergic diseases and their impact on the likelihood of developing cancer, with some studies suggesting that eczema is associated with a reduced risk of skin cancer. However, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions based on studies of human populations because eczema ...
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for May 6, 2014
2014-05-06
1. Deaths decline after Massachusetts' health care reform
Deaths declined significantly in Massachusetts four years after comprehensive health care reform, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. In 2006, Massachusetts enacted a health care law that expanded Medicaid, offered subsidized private insurance, and created an individual mandate. As the model for the Affordable Care Act, effects of the Massachusetts' health care overhaul have important policy implications. Researchers wanted to find out if expanded insurance coverage affected ...
Significant decline in deaths after Massachusetts' health reform
2014-05-06
Boston, MA — In the first four years after Massachusetts instituted comprehensive health reform in 2006, mortality in the state decreased by 2.9% compared with similar populations in states that didn't expand health coverage, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. They estimated that Massachusetts' health reform law, which provided near-universal coverage, has prevented approximately 320 deaths per year—one life saved for each 830 people gaining insurance.
The study—which provides new scientifically rigorous analysis of whether ...
What fuels Salmonella's invasion strategy?
2014-05-06
Certain strains of Salmonella bacteria such as Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) are among of the most common causes of food-borne gastroenteritis. Other strains of Salmonella such as S. Typhi are responsible for typhoid fever, which causes 200,000 deaths around the world each year. Ensuring food is clear of contamination, and water is clean are key to reducing the effects Salmonella can have, but we also need more effective ways to combat Salmonella once it's inside our bodies.
To address this the Institute of Food Research, strategically supported by the Biotechnology ...
Rising treatment costs drive up health care spending
2014-05-05
It's a well-known fact that spending on health care has consistently grown faster than the rest of the U.S. economy. What's behind this trend is less certain. Economists point to two causes: the prevalence of diseases and conditions afflicting the U.S. population, or the rising costs of treating diseases. New research from American University Associate Professor Martha Starr and Virginia Tech Research Professor Ana Aizcorbe shows it is the latter, with higher prices for treatment accounting for 70 percent of growth in health care spending.
"Rising costs of treatment ...
Active seniors can lower heart attack risk by doing more, not less
2014-05-05
Maintaining or boosting your physical activity after age 65 can improve your heart's electrical well-being and lower your risk of heart attack, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
In heart monitor recordings taken over five years, researchers found that people who walked more and faster and had more physically active leisure time had fewer irregular heart rhythms and greater heart rate variability than those who were less active.
Heart rate variability is differences in the time between one heartbeat and the next during everyday ...
Henry Ford Hospital study links social, community factors with hospital readmissions
2014-05-05
DETROIT – Factors like the level of poverty in a neighborhood, living alone, and age affect a patient's chances of being readmitted to a hospital after discharge, even after possible variations in quality of care in the hospital have been taken into account.
Those are the conclusions of a new study by Henry Ford Health System researchers who found links between readmission rates and social factors such as patients' marital status and neighborhood poverty, suggesting that readmissions are not just an issue of hospital quality.
The study appears in the May issue of Health ...
Lower Hispanic participation in Medicare drug benefit may point to barriers
2014-05-05
Hispanic seniors are 35 percent less likely to have prescription drug coverage despite the existence of the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan – also known as Part D – and the availability of assistance to help pay insurance premiums. That is the finding of a study released today in the journal Health Affairs.
"These results indicate that disparities in prescription drug coverage exist between Hispanic and white Medicare beneficiaries, despite the existence of a potentially universal entitlement program," said Brian McGarry, a graduate student in the Department of Public ...
Study looks at predicting fracture risk after women stop bisphosphonate therapy
2014-05-05
Age and testing of hip bone mineral density (BDM) when postmenopausal women discontinue bisphosphonate therapy can help predict the likelihood of fractures over the next five years.
Bisphosphonates can reduce the risk of hip and spine fractures. But recent concerns about safety issues, including osteonecrosis of the jaw, atypical femoral fractures and esophageal cancer, have increased interest in interrupting or stopping bisphosphonate therapy after several years of treatment. This study tested methods for predicting fracture risk by measuring BMD using hip and spine ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Trailblazing Young Scientists honored with $250,000 prizes at Blavatnik National Awards Gala
Revolutionary blood test for ME / Chronic Fatigue unveiled
Calorie labelling linked to 2% average reduction in energy content of menu items
Widely prescribed opioid painkiller tramadol not that effective for easing chronic pain
Exercise snacks may boost cardiorespiratory fitness of physically inactive adults
15,000 women a year with breast cancer could benefit from whole genome sequencing, say researchers
Study highlights risks of Caesarean births to future pregnancies
GLP-1 agonists pose emerging challenge for PET-CT imaging, study finds
Scripps Research scientists unlock new patterns of protein behavior in cell membranes
Panama Canal may face frequent extreme water lows in coming decades
Flash Joule heating lights up lithium extraction from ores
COMBINEDBrain and MUSC announce partnership to establish biorepository for pediatric cerebrospinal fluid and CNS tissue bank
Questionable lead reporting for drinking water virtually vanished after Flint water crisis, study reveals
Assessing overconfidence among national security officials
Bridging two frontiers: Mitochondria & microbiota, Targeting Extracellular Vesicles 2025 to explore game-changing pathways in medicine
New imaging tech promises to help doctors better diagnose and treat skin cancers
Once dominant, US agricultural exports falter amid trade disputes and rising competition
Biochar from invasive weed shields rice from toxic nanoplastics and heavy metals
Rice University announces second cohort of Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows
Soil bacteria and minerals form a natural “battery” that breaks down antibiotics in the dark
Jamestown colonists brought donkeys, not just horses, to North America, old bones reveal
FIU cybersecurity researchers develop midflight defense against drone hijacking
Kennesaw State researcher aims to discover how ideas spread in the digital age
Next-generation perovskite solar cells are closer to commercial use
Sleep patterns linked to variation in health, cognition, lifestyle, and brain organization
University of Oklahoma researcher awarded funding to bridge gap between molecular data and tissue architecture
Nationally-recognized pathologist Paul N. Staats, MD, named Chair of Pathology at University of Maryland School of Medicine
The world’s snow leopards are very similar genetically. That doesn’t bode well for their future
Researchers find key to stopping deadly infection
Leafcutter ants have blind spots, just like truck drivers
[Press-News.org] Early obesity linked to increased probability of severe obesity later in lifeBeing obese at age 25 increases risk for serious weight problems over 35 years of age according to new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine