Is Teen Obesity Associated With MS Later In Life?

Researchers believe that being obese at age 18 may be linked with developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult.

The BBC news website summarised the research findings from the Harvard School of Public Health:

A 40-year study of 238,000 women found those who were obese at 18 had twice the risk of developing MS compared to women who were slimmer at that age.

There was also a small increase in risk for those who were overweight (BMI between 25 and 30) as teens. The researchers adjusted for factors like smoking and exercise levels.

Being overweight as a child or adult appeared not to have any effect on whether or not a person developed multiple sclerosis. The researchers believe that this could be due to important physical changes during adolescence, and explained:

There's a lot of research supporting the idea that adolescence may be an important time for development of disease, so what we have found is consistent with that.

However, multiple sclerosis charities are less certain, and the MS Society's Susan Kohlhaas said that further research was needed.

Whether or not the findings of this study are confirmed, it's another reminder that obesity early in life can cause problems later on. If you're obese, you might be in good health right now, but you're putting yourself at greater risk of developing diseases (such as type II diabetes) during the rest of your life.