Being fat during adolescence can lead to heart failures in middle age, a new study found. Findings suggest that parents should monitor their child's weight because excess fat could lead to health problems in the future.
The study looked at the link between young men's body mass index (BMI) and their chances of being admitted to hospitals for heart failure in the future.
Study co-author and professor of medicine Annika Rosengren from the University of Gothenburg said there is an increased risk of developing heart failure among obese or overweight teenage boys. There is also a risk even among teenage boys whose BMI is within the normal range.
The study analyzed the data of 1,610,437 men from the Swedish Military Service Register. When the study began, the average age of the male participants was 18 years old. The researchers spent an average of 23 years following the health outcomes of the male participants.
They found that 79.6 percent had normal weight (BMI 18.5 to 20), 10 percent were overweight (BMI 25 to 30) while 2.3 percent were obese (BMI more than 35).
The male participants with a BMI of 18.5 to 20 had a lower risk of developing heart failures in middle age compared to the men with a BMI of 20 to 22.5.
The men with a BMI of 30 to 35 and above had the highest risks among all the study participants. The heart failure risk surged with the men's BMI increase.
The men with normal body weights carried heart failure risks as well. But the men who belonged to the highest weight categories increased their risks by tenfold. The findings suggested that today's currently obese teenagers could be at high risk.
The team measured the participants' heart failure incidence rates. In their calculations, they considered the following factors: IQ, fitness and strength.
The researchers documented 5,492 heart failure cases during the follow-up years. The incident's average hit age was 46.6 years old.
The team noted that the men with a BMI of 20 had the lowest risk. The risk surged as the BMI increased. Among the heart failure cases, 22.9 percent did not have pre-existing conditions such as hypertension or diabetes.
Today's modern, motorized transportation and quick access to cheap, fast food play roles in the increasing obesity epidemic. While the absence of hard labor and easy access to food are fundamentally good, Rosengren highlighted the need for strategies designed to help people not to amass excess body fat.
"Given the global trend for growing numbers of teenagers to be overweight and obese, our findings suggest that heart failure, which in this study occurred at the relatively early average age of about 47 may well become a major threat to health worldwide," added Rosengren.
The so-called "baby fat" is usually accepted as part of youth and growing up. However, new findings suggested that excess weight during younger years can lead to major health problems in middle age.
The findings were published in the European Heart Journal.
