Men who are obese at age 20 are twice as likely to die young, according to a new study presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden.
Researchers examined health factors for close to 5,500 men ages 20 to 80 and found that the 1,930 study subjects who were obese at age 20 were twice as likely to die at any age, when compared to those who were not obese at 20.
“Entering adult life as obese leads to a life-long doubling of the risk of dying prematurely,” researcher Esther Zimmermann, PhD, of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark told WebMD.
Researchers also found that the chance of dying at an earlier age increased by 10 percent for each body mass index (BMI) point above what is considered a healthy weight.
Those involved in the study were also required to complete follow up surveys at 35 and 46 years old. It was found that more than 70 percent of men who were obese at 20 years old were still obese at the follow up exams. However, only 4 percent of men who were of a normal weight at 20 became obese later in life.
More testing needs to be done, and researchers hope to better understand why men who were obese at 20 years old die earlier to develop better strategies for prevention. Future research in this area is especially important because more than two thirds of U.S. adults 20 or older are considered overweight or obese.
August 12th, 2011 at 7:33 am
I had the very expensive and VERY Dangerous gastric bybass surgery. Yes, I lost the weight…then I had babies and gained it all back. and I lost it again the hard way-watching what I eat and exercising, and then gained it again. I had many complications as well. It takes a long while for your brain to wrap its head around what you have done, and free yourself of old habits. Easily could have become Bulimic just for the want of chewing! Yes this can help some, every one is different. A friend shared a new product with me on Facebook. It is an all natural food supplement. you take 1 in the morning with water and drink a lot of water and it slams the appetite, so you don’t think about food, increases your energy with out jitters or crashes in the afternoon, so you move better, and elevates the mood. You are not crabby, deprived or counting calories or points, drinking shakes. All I know is I am on the permanent road to recovery! I have lost 45 pounds since Mid April and feel great…anyone can friend me on facebook and I will get them info. Best of health!