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Midlife weight loss unlikely to reduce risk of an early death, scientists find

Researchers estimate that 12.4% of early deaths in the US may be due to having a higher BMI at any point between early- and mid-adulthood
Researchers estimate that 12.4% of early deaths in the US may be due to having a higher BMI at any point between early- and mid-adulthood

Midlife weight loss does not significantly reduce a person's risk of an early death because the damage has already largely been done, scientists have warned following a major study.

Researchers examined the data of 24,205 participants from 1998 to 2015 to track how changes in weight between young adulthood and later life affected health prospects.

The changes in Body Mass Index's (BMI) of the volunteers, aged 40-74 when they entered the study, were analysed over this period and compared with their index aged 25.

Scientists found that the participants whose BMI's fell from “obese” at age 25 down to “overweight” in midlife were 54 per cent less likely to have died than those whose index's remained in the “obese” range.

Analysis of the results indicated that 3.2 percent of the deaths would have been avoided if everyone with a BMI in the “obese” range at age 25 had been able to slim down enough to drop down into the “overweight” category by midlife.

However, a similar reduction in death risk was not found in participants who lost weight later in life, with researchers suggesting this is because midlife weight loss is more closely tied to an ageing person's worsening general health.

The study, conducted by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), also found that weight loss was rare overall, as only 0.8 per cent of participants had BMIs that went from the “obese” to the “overweight” range.

“Although this study focused on preventing premature deaths, maintaining a healthy weight will also reduce the burden of many chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer,” Dr JoAnn Manson, the study's co-author, noted.

Dr Andrew Stokes, assistant professor of global health at BUSPH, said: “The results indicate an important opportunity to improve population health through primary and secondary prevention of obesity, particularly at younger ages.”

Boris's obesity strategy must tackle inequalities in order to 'level up' Britain
Boris's obesity strategy must tackle inequalities in order to 'level up' Britain

Over the course of the study, participants with an “obese” to “overweight” trajectory had a risk of death closer to that of participants whose BMIs had been in the “overweight” range throughout it.

When analysing the link between BMI change and the chance of death over the observed period, the researchers controlled for other factors such as sex, smoking and education level.

They estimate that 12.4% of early deaths in the US may be attributable to having a higher BMI at any point between early- and mid-adulthood.

In the UK, more than a third (36%) of UK adults are classed as overweight, and 28% are obese.