Young children who are persistently overweight can have half the average life expectancy, research shows
A study shows that children who are severely obese could live only half the average life expectancy if they don’t lose weight in adulthood.
Research shows that a severely obese four-year-old boy has a life expectancy of 39 years, half that of a boy of the same age of a healthy weight in Britain.
Life expectancy indicates the further number of years a person can expect to live on average, given the age he or she has reached.
The modeling by Stradoo GmbH, a life sciences consultancy in Munich, used data from 50 existing clinical trials – with more than 10 million participants from around the world – on obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
The study measured severe obesity based on BMI Z-scores. These indicate how much an individual’s BMI deviates from the norm for their age and gender, with higher values representing a higher weight.
The variables the study looked at included age of onset, duration, severity and a measure of irreversible risk.
For example, a four-year-old boy with an average height of 103 cm and a healthy weight of approximately 16.5 kg (2nd 8 lb) has a BMI Z-score of 0.
In contrast, a boy of the same age and height, weighing 19.5 kg, would have a score of 2, while a boy weighing 22.7 kg would have a score of 3.5.
A child with a BMI Z-score of 2 would also see his life expectancy drop from 80 to 65.
The study found that early onset of severe obesity during childhood increases the risk of developing related comorbidities such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
For example, a four-year-old child with severe obesity who does not lose weight had almost a third (27%) chance of developing type 2 diabetes at age 25, and a 45% chance at age 35.
Dr. Urs Wiedemann, who presented the study, said the impact of childhood obesity on life expectancy is “profound” and that it should be considered a “life-threatening disease”.
He said: “While it is widely accepted that childhood obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, and that it can reduce life expectancy, the evidence on the scale of the impact is patchy.
“A better understanding of the precise extent of long-term consequences and the factors that cause them could help inform prevention policies and treatment approaches, as well as improve health and extend life.”
Wiedemann added: “It is clear that obesity in children should be considered a life-threatening disease. It is essential that treatment is not delayed until the development of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or other ‘warning signs’, but starts early.
“Early diagnosis must and can improve the quality and length of life.”
A quarter of children aged 10 and 11 in England are obese, and 159 million children worldwide are obese.