Obesity in 20s Raises Risk for Premature Death: Study

According to a new study from Denmark, men who develop obesity during their 20s have a high risk of dying prematurely. The study was based on data collected over a span of three decades.

Obesity can raise the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis and even some cancers. According to estimates by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of all people living in the U.S. are obese.

The study included 6,500 men from Denmark. The participants were around 22 years of age and researchers tracked the health records of these men for 33 years up to age 55. These men were registered with the Military Board.

All the participants had undergone various medical and psychological tests. According to the records, about 83 percent, or 5,407 of them had normal weight, 5 percent or 353 were underweight and 1.97 percent or 97 people were obese.

Researchers found that about half of all the obese men had been diagnosed with diabetes, blood clots, heart disease, and stroke, or had died by the time they reached middle-age.

The study results also showed that obese people were eight times more likely to get diabetes and four times more likely to get venous thromboembolism - a potentially deadly blood clot - when compared with people who had a healthy weight. Also, risk of heart attack, high blood pressure was twice as high for obese participants, and they were some 30 percent more likely to die prematurely.

In the U.S., many teens and young adults have been diagnosed with obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says that 17 percent of all children in the U.S., or 12.5 million children and teens in the country are affected by obesity, raising the risk of several health complications later in life.

The study is published in the journal BMJ Open.