Teen Obesity Tied to Adult Death Risk

A large study links adolescent obesity to an increased risk of death by middle-age, though the connection seems to be largely explained by the tendency of obese teens to remain so as adults.

This persistence of obesity did not fully account for the higher death risk among women who were obese as teenagers, however. The finding suggests that adolescent obesity may in the long run be more harmful for women than men, the study's lead author, Dr. Anders Engeland stated.

Engeland, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and his colleagues gleaned their findings from data on more than 128,000 residents of Norway surveyed over four decades.

Because these individuals were followed only into middle age, only a small percentage had died by the end of follow-up. Still, people who had a "very high" body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height) as teenagers had a 30 to 40 percent higher mortality rate, the researchers report. The average age at death was 46.

The findings appear in the January issue of the journal Epidemiology.

According to Engeland, adolescent obesity in this study usually lasted into adulthood, and this persistence accounted for most of the relationship between high teenage BMI and premature death.

There was some evidence, he noted, that obese boys who eventually lost the weight had death risks similar to men who were normal weight as teens. He added, though, that the data were "sparse" on this point.

As for women, persistent obesity partially explained the link between high teenage BMI and premature death -- but not to the extent seen in men. Even when adult BMI was factored in, women who were obese as teens were about 30 percent more likely than those with an average teenage BMI to die by middle-age.

Engeland had no explanation for the different findings for men and women. Whatever the reason, he said the findings suggest that adolescent obesity might have relatively more harmful long-term effects in women than in men.

Obesity in adulthood is known to increase the risk of a number of serious medical conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. The health effects of teen obesity are less clear, but the rate of type 2 diabetes among U.S. children and teens has risen in tandem with high BMI.

It's estimated that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of obese teens become obese adults.

SOURCE: Epidemiology, January 2004.

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