Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – February 04, 2021 – Health
A recent study conducted by researchers in the field of nutrition showed that people with normal weight and smooth weight gain in youth are least prone to premature death.
The consequences of obesity are now well known: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, the risk of cancer.
The prevalence of overweight, according to the World Health Organization, is growing every year: about 13% of the world’s population – 11% of men and 15% of women are obese.
Obesity and overweight are interrelated. Obesity is diagnosed provided that the body mass index – the ratio of weight in kilograms and height in meters (BMI) exceeds 30. Excess weight is equal to 25.
The new study may please those who are overweight. According to scientists, people who have normal BMI in adulthood, later gradually gaining weight, have a longer life expectancy. If obesity was acquired in childhood and adolescence – it directly affects the risk of premature death. It should be noted that this effect of overweight on mortality depends on factors such as time and degree of weight gain, as well as the initial BMI.
The Framingham Heart Study, which involved 4,576 older people (1948–2010) and 3,753 young people from their offspring (1971–2014), found that 3,913 people in the original group died suddenly at the end of the study. This allowed scientists to obtain more accurate data on the effects of BMI on the risk of death compared to previous studies linking obesity to death.
Tracking the BMI of participants over the years, the researchers found an interesting fact: the older generation was constantly moving on one of the seven trajectories of the index. And the younger generation had as many as six trajectories. The group, which is constantly losing weight, was absent. At the same time, all factors influencing the risk of death were taken into account – smoking, gender, education, marital status, and chronic diseases. The authors drew attention to the relationship between BMI and mortality. Thirty-one-year-olds in the baseline group who were overweight and gained weight over time had the lowest risk of premature death, even compared to those who maintained a normal weight throughout life.
The next group, which claimed a low risk of mortality, were people with stable overweight. Next behind them – those who had BMI limits of normal and lean weight. At-risk were overweight people who first lost weight and later gained weight until the first, second, and third degrees of obesity.
Researchers also found dangerous trends among young participants. Thus, the high rate of their BMI, compared with their ancestors, grew earlier than their parents. However, scientists noted that the risk of death from obesity fell in each new generation. Thus, mortality from increased BMI increased from 5.4% in the original group to 6.4% in their offspring. This, according to scientists, is due to the fact that the young group moved from the beginning on the scenario of obesity.
