Teens who are obese at age 18 have the same risk of dying young as those who are heavy smokers, a new study finds.
Even those who are simply overweight at 18 have the same risk for premature death as light smokers --those who smoked 10 or fewer cigarettes per day.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, by researchers in Sweden followed nearly 46,000 18-year-old men for about 38 years. All of the men underwent Sweden's mandatory military conscription tests at the 18 and were weighed and measured.
The researchers found that compared to those who were normal weight at age 18, those who were obese had more than double the odds of dying by the age of 56 -- similar to heavy smokers. Those who were overweight increased their risk by about one-third.
Being obese and a heavy smoker increased the odds of dying young by five times compared to normal-weight non-smokers -- but, interestingly, this was statistically the same as simply being a heavy smoker or obese at age 18.
The incidence of death was lowest for people with normal weight. Being underweight carried no increased risk or early death -- regardless of whether the men smoked. However, being seriously underweight, with a body mass index of less than 17, carried the same risk of premature death as being overweight.
Early death was also linked to how much the men smoked. This risk gradually increased the more they smoked, with heavy smokers (those smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day) at more than double the risk of premature death compared to non-smokers.
The authors note that since they began the study four decades ago, the number of adolescent men in Sweden who are overweight has tripled and those who are obese has increased five-fold. At the same time, the number of men who smoke and are underweight in Sweden has dropped by half.
The study authors therefore conclude that "overweight, obesity and smoking among adolescents remain important targets for intensified public health initiatives."
