40 The results of a study by scientists from Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, and other US research institutions showed that maintaining an optimal weight in adulthood will provide significant health benefits later. Specialists came to this conclusion on the basis of a cohort study conducted as part of the Chicago Heart Association project.
More than 29,6 adults, both men and women, participated in the study. At the initial stage, their average age was 40 years.
As the scientists found out, overweight and obesity of the I and II degrees, noted at the age of 40, appeared to be associated with a statistically significant higher cumulative incidence rate in old age compared to a normal body mass index (BMI). Such people had to spend more money on medical services.
According to the researchers, a higher midlife BMI in overweight study participants was associated with higher rates of both overall and cardiovascular morbidity. In addition, already at the beginning of the study, they were more often diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. At the same time, those who had obesity of the first and second degrees at the age of 40 were younger than the average age at the time of death.