A Decade-Long Obesity Increases Heart Attack & Stroke Risk in Young Adults

Conditions like heart attack and stroke are becoming more common in young adults than they used to be. Thus, there is a need to understand what is causing this increase in risk.

Obesity is associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke in just any age group. However, what is unclear is how long one might be overweight or obese before the risk of heart attack and stroke increases significantly.

Doctors have long known that the longer the person has been obese, the greater the risk of life-threatening complications. However, what has been lacking is the data or firm findings from larger studies.

It is pretty straightforward to understand that the longer the person is obese, the greater the changes in the cardiovascular system and other organs will be. This also means that if, after prolonged obesity, one normalizes body weight, much more time is required to reverse the adverse body changes.

For example, if a person has been obese for 10 years, one may lower the body weight in 6 months and become a normal-weight individual. But will this reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke? Undoubtedly, yes, but not as much and not as quickly as one would like. The new study confirms that the risk of cardiovascular complications is proportional to the duration of obesity.

10 Years of Longer Obesity is Especially Associated with Higher Heart Attack & Stroke Risk

The findings of the new study were presented in the ENDO 2024. In the study, researchers analyzed data from 109,259 women and 27,239 women who were overweight in 1990. They found that being overweight or obese for 10 years or more increased the risk of heart attack or stroke by 25-60%. This was true for women younger than 50 years and men below the age of 65.

The study had some surprising findings, too. It appears that some extra weight was rather protective for older adults. This is true for men above the age of 65 and women above the age of 50.

This paradox is perhaps not difficult to understand. Prolonged obesity at a young age means more significant changes in the cardiovascular system. However, a few extra pounds at an advanced age may provide some extra energy reserves to older adults.

Of course, one should not wrongly interpret the results of this study for older adults. Only a few extra pounds are protective. It means that if a person is slightly overweight, it may not be as harmful. However, obesity is bad at any age.

Considering that the study is quite massive, it confirms that the duration of obesity matters, especially for young adults.

This also answers one of the common questions given by young adults first diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Many young adults remain overweight or obese for years, often decades or more. Then, one day, they join some bootcamp or program and quickly reduce their body weight. Of course, this is a good idea. However, this does not mean that lowering body weight quickly reverses all the adverse changes that have happened over the years in a few months.

Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the body weight remains within normal range most of the time. Even if it increases above the normal range, one should take immediate steps, as this will help prevent irreversible body changes.

Source:

Risk for heart attack and stroke increases in people with obesity for a decade or more. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2024/endo-2024-press-turchin