Excess Weight in Young Adulthood Predicts Shorter Lifespan

Those 25-year-olds who are overweight now but think they will be fine as long as they lose weight eventually might need to reconsider. A study appearing online in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that people who are overweight during young adulthood are likely to die earlier than others.

“Young adults are so much heavier now than they were 20 years ago,” said June Stevens, Ph.D., lead study author. “Our results really make me concerned that getting heavy early in life could translate into a shorter lifespan for many Americans.”

The risk of dying was 21 percent higher in those with a higher body mass index (BMI). Moreover, after adjusting for other risk factors such as smoking status, physical activity and alcohol consumption, it was 28 percent higher.

Source: Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health
http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/getDocument.cfm?documentID=22426