Morbidity, Including Fatal Morbidity, throughout Life in Men Entering Adult Life as Obese
2011

Obesity in Young Adulthood and Health Risks

Sample size: 362200 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Esther Zimmermann, Claus Holst, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

Primary Institution: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital

Hypothesis

What is the long-term health impact of being obese in early adulthood?

Conclusion

Obese young men experience increased morbidity and mortality from various diseases throughout their lives.

Supporting Evidence

  • Obese young men had a constant increased risk of diseases throughout life.
  • The relative hazard of type 2 diabetes was consistently high at different life stages.
  • The study included a large sample size of Danish men examined for military service.

Takeaway

If you're overweight when you're young, you might get sick more often and die earlier than your friends who aren't overweight.

Methodology

The study analyzed data from 362,200 Danish men examined for military service, comparing 1,930 obese men to a control group.

Potential Biases

Potential detection bias may inflate hazard ratios for diseases in obese individuals.

Limitations

The study did not account for smoking habits, which could confound results.

Participant Demographics

Danish young men aged 18-25, with a focus on those with a BMI≥31.0 kg/m2.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 4.1–5.9

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0018546

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