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Women who are overweight or obese at 18 are at a greater risk of dying in middle age than women who stay at a healthy weight in their teens, a study finds.
Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health examined the health habits and medical records of more than 100,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study, an ongoing federally financed study of women's health problems.
In 1989, the participants, ages 24 to 44, reported their weight and height and also their weight at age 18. Over the next 12 years, 710 of the women died.
Researchers, reporting in today's Annals of Internal Medicine, found that in evaluating the deaths, it became apparent that women who were overweight or obese at 18 were more likely to die in middle age. The heavier the woman, the greater her risk of dying early.
The most common medical cause of death was cancer (including breast, colon, endometrial and kidney cancer), followed by heart disease.
Overweight young women were more likely to consume more alcohol and smoke, and were less likely to exercise, the study found. Those who weighed too much at 18 were more likely to be overweight at 34.
Researchers did not look at whether the danger was less if women lost and kept off a significant amount of weight after 18.
One-third of children and teens in the USA -- 25 million children -- are either overweight or on the brink of becoming so, a government survey shows.
"Our results suggest that childhood obesity itself has adverse health effects over and above obesity during adulthood," says Harvard's Frank Hu, a study author. Other research has shown the link between childhood obesity and heart disease in adults, he says. "Childhood obesity needs urgent attention."
Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society says the new study adds to the wealth of data showing that "obesity is detrimental to health and shortens longevity."
"There has been a tremendous rise in being overweight or obese in kids. So this bodes poorly for future health consequences of obesity."
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