NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Weight management is often treated as a “middle-age” problem, but new research suggests that the pounds you pack on in your 20s may be the most dangerous of your life.<\/p>\n A massive study of more than 620,000 individuals found that the damage from early weight gain<\/a> is disproportionately high and surprisingly permanent. According to the findings, the younger someone is when obesity sets in, the higher the risk of early mortality.<\/p>\n The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, analyzed data from the Obesity and Disease Development Sweden project.<\/p>\n MEN FACE HIDDEN HEART RISK YEARS EARLIER THAN WOMEN, STUDY SUGGESTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The most consistent finding is that weight gain at a younger age is linked to a higher risk of premature death later in life, compared with people who gain less weight,” Tanja Stocks, a professor at Lund University and one of the researchers behind the study, said in a press release.<\/p>\n New research suggests that the pounds you pack on in your 20s may be the most dangerous of your life.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Developing obesity between the ages of 17 and 29 was linked to a 70% higher risk of early death compared to weight gain<\/a> later in life.<\/p>\n Weight gain later in adulthood, between ages 30 and 60, was also linked to higher death rates, but the connections were generally weaker.<\/p>\n HERE’S THE AGE WHEN STRENGTH AND FITNESS BEGIN FADING, LONG-TERM DATA SHOWS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “One possible explanation for why people with early obesity onset are at greater risk is their longer period exposed to the biological effects of excess weight,” Huyen Le, a doctoral student at Lund University and first author of the study, said in the release.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When weight gain happens in the 20s, the blood vessels, liver and metabolic systems<\/a> endure obesity-related strain for decades longer than someone who gains the same weight in their 50s, experts say.<\/p>\n Weight gain later in adulthood, between ages 30 and 60, was also linked to higher death rates, but the connections were generally weaker.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The study identified type 2 diabetes<\/a> as the leading cause of death associated with early-onset obesity. Other significant risks included high blood pressure, liver cancer in men and uterine cancer in women.<\/p>\n To reach these conclusions, researchers tracked participants\u2019 weight paths across adulthood over more than 50 years, focusing on three specific windows: ages 17 to 29, 30 to 44, and 45 to 60.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Using a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher to define obesity, the team compared weight data against Sweden\u2019s national death registry.<\/p>\n After adjusting for a variety of factors, including smoking habits<\/a> and marital status, the trend showed that becoming obese later in life still carried risks, but the danger compounded the longer people stayed obese.<\/p>\n While type 2 diabetes is the leading risk, early-onset obesity is also tied to higher rates of high blood pressure and specific cancers.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n While these findings highlight the “importance of early and sustained obesity prevention strategies<\/a>,” the researchers noted that other factors come into play, and that increases in risk within a population can be difficult to interpret.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “We shouldn\u2019t get too hung up on exact risk figures,” Stocks said.<\/p>\n “They are rarely entirely accurate, as they are influenced, for example, by the factors taken into account in the study<\/a> and the accuracy with which both risk factors and outcomes have been measured.”<\/p>\n![\"Doctor](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1200\/675\/man-beer-belly-heart.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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