Even modest weight gain in adulthood raises your risk of major illness, study shows
Putting on as little as 5kg by middle age may substantially increase the likelihood you will suffer from major illnesses, US researchers say
Most adults gain weight as they age, but adding as little as five kilograms by middle age may substantially raise the risk of major illnesses, US researchers said Tuesday.
Harvard University scientists found that even modest weight gain in adulthood “was associated with a significantly elevated incidence of a composite measure of major chronic diseases, consisting of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and non-traumatic death”, said the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Our study is the first of its kind to systematically examine the association of weight gain from early to middle adulthood with major health risks later in life,” said senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University.
Higher amounts of weight gain were associated with greater risk of chronic diseases
“The findings indicate that even a modest amount of weight gain may have important health consequences.”