People who were already overweight in their teen years have an increased risk of death from chronic diseases during adulthood, say researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
In this new study, 227,000 Norwegian teens aged 14 to 19 had their body mass index (BMI) measured over 35 years. Mortality rates among overweight teens were compared with the mortality rates in teens with a normal body weight.
Compared to those who were slim teens, people who were overweight in adolescence had an increased mortality rate from various chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer and respiratory diseases.
According to previous studies, overweight teens are more likely to become overweight adults.
BMI is a ratio of height to weight with a BMI over 25 classified as overweight. Click here to find out if you are within the healthy range of 20 to 25.
This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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