Research finds illness risk link to time spent obese

IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH OF CHILDREN IN THE LONG TERM

BLOOD pressure, cholesterol and high blood sugar are worse for people who have been obese for longer, according to a new study.

Researchers at Loughborough University found a link between the length of time someone has spent above the obesity threshold – based on the BMI scale – and levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), caused when sugar attaches to red blood cells.

High levels of HbA1c are an indicator of developing diabetes and related complications and are linked to higher risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

In a study of more than 20,000 people, one key finding showed that even after accounting for severity of obesity, the longer someone spends obese the worse the level of blood sugar (HbA1c).

Adults with less than five years of obesity had a 5 per cent higher HbA1c compared with adults with no years of obesity.

For adults with 20 to 30 years of obesity, HbA1c was 12 per cent higher.

Dr Tom Norris, lead author of the paper, said: “The motivation for the study was to try to understand why some people with obesity have a greater risk for diseases that affect the circulatory and endocrine systems than other people who also have obesity.

“We tested the idea the length of time a person has obesity is responsible. We found that longer time with obesity resulted in worse blood pressure, cholesterol, and HbA1c.

“Importantly though, greater obesity duration was still associated with worse HbA1c even after accounting for obesity severity.

“This was not true for blood pressure and cholesterol.”

Fellow author Dr Will Johnson said: “The results suggest developing obesity earlier in life may be related to worse HbA1c even if obesity severity is low, for example, in an individual whose body mass index is only just above the obesity threshold.

“This is important because the UK is experiencing an obesity epidemic characterised by children becoming obese at younger ages.”

The work was carried out in partnership with University College London and the University of Cambridge.

The paper was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.