A recent study found that young people who are obese have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The research investigated the correlation between obesity and the risk of cardiovascular diseases based on age and was presented at the 2024 Endocrine Society Annual Meeting (ENDO 2024).
A person is diagnosed as obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is 25 or above. The problems often associated with obesity are commonly referred to as the 5Ds: disfigurement, discomfort, disability, disease, and death.
Obesity increases the risk of various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as it disrupts our body’s endocrine system. For those who have been overweight from a young age, these endocrine problems can have an even greater impact on their health.
The researchers analyzed the correlation between obesity and the risk of cardiovascular diseases based on age, using the medical data of 109,259 women and 27,239 men with a BMI of 25 or above.
The research found that while obesity did increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, the risk varied based on age. For women over 50 and men over 65, being obese did not increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This suggests that young people who are obese need to actively manage their weight to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
The researchers noted that the risk of heart attack or stroke related to obesity is lower in older people, a phenomenon they called the obesity paradox. This paradox is consistent with previous research findings that obese patients with cardiovascular diseases have a higher survival rate than patients with normal weight.
The researchers explained that once a cardiovascular disease develops, the extra fat can protect our bodies from additional complications. However, they noted that in a healthy state, fat can cause systemic inflammation, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, weight management is essential unless other complications are present.
Based on these results, the researchers concluded that young people who are obese have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
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