Research shows that obese children are twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis
A study shows that children who are obese have more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults.
MS can affect the brain and spinal cord and cause a range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It is a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause severe disability.
The findings from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice in May.
Previous research has shown that there is an association between a high body mass index (BMI) during adolescence and an increased risk of MS. But most of these studies were retrospective in design and used self-reported data.
Researchers involved in the new study sought to prospectively evaluate the risk of developing MS in a large cohort of obese children compared to the general population.
Academics analyzed data from the Swedish childhood obesity treatment register. The database, known as Boris, is one of the world’s largest registries for the treatment of childhood obesity.
The research team looked at data on children aged two to 19 who joined the register between 1995 and 2020, and compared their information with that of children in the general population.
The study included data from more than 21,600 children with obesity, who started treatment for obesity when they were on average 11 years old, and from more than 100,000 children without obesity.
Children involved in the study were followed for an average of six years. During the follow-up period, MS was diagnosed in 28 of those with obesity (0.13% of the group) and in 58 of the non-obese group (0.06%).
The average age at which MS was diagnosed was similar between groups, with patients diagnosed at an average age of 23.
The authors acknowledged the limitations of their study, but said: “Despite limited follow-up time, our findings highlight that childhood obesity more than doubles susceptibility to early-onset MS.”
The authors of the study, Emilia Hagman, Associate Professor, and Prof. Claude Marcus, said: “One of the consequences of obesity in childhood is that it causes low-grade but chronic inflammation, and most likely this inflammation increases the risk of developing of multiple diseases. diseases such as MS.
“Chronic low-grade inflammation is also thought to increase the risk of other diseases such as asthma, arthritis, type 1 diabetes and some cancers. However, we know that weight loss reduces inflammation and most likely the risk of developing such diseases.”