Weight Gain During Puberty Can Increase Heart Disease Risk

10 Nov 2016 --- Boys who undergo a large increase in body mass index (BMI) during puberty are at increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease later in life, according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy. However, the study found no corresponding risk among boys who are overweight when younger, but maintain a normal weight during adolescence.

High obesity rates among adults is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, however, this study is the first to evaluate the contribution of BMI during the two distinct developmental periods; childhood and puberty, for cardiovascular mortality in adult men.

The study comes at a time when childhood obesity is considered a worldwide epidemic, and multiple countries are attempting to tackle the issue with childhood obesity strategies. 

Speaking with NutritionInsight, Jenny Kindblom said, "Childhood and adolescence are of immense importance for future health."

"The national childhood obesity strategies are of course essential and prevention of obesity necessary, given the challenges associated with the treatment of obesity and the risks with the conditions."

The study looks at over 37,600 men born 1945-61, whose height and weight were well documented from both the school health care records and military conscription tests.

The change in BMI during puberty was calculated using BMI values at 8 and 20 years of age.

The results suggest that increased cardiovascular mortality is seen in boys with a large increase in BMI during puberty, while there was no increased risk for those who were overweight prior to puberty but whose BMI normalized during puberty.

This has led the researchers to believe that an excessive BMI increase during puberty is harmful to cardiovascular health.

“In this study, we show that a large increase in BMI during puberty is particularly important, while high BMI at age 8 is not linked to increased risk of cardiovascular death,” says Jenny Kindblom, associate professor at the University of Gothenburg‘s Sahlgrenska Academy.

Although BMI increases during puberty as a part of normal pubertal development, the researchers believe that increased risks occur in the group of boys whose BMI increased by more than 7 BMI units during puberty.

Within this group, the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease later in life increases by 22 percent for every extra BMI unit.

“Our data suggests that BMI should be monitored in schoolchildren extra closely during puberty for the early identification of individuals at high risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease in the future,” says Professor Claes Ohlsson, Institute of Medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg.

by Hannah Gardiner