A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics looked at how much obesity causes health problems in teenagers and young adults in the U.S.
The study used national health data (NHANES) to estimate how many conditions are related to obesity and what might happen if obesity is prevented or treated.
Obesity is known to increase the risk of many health issues, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), prediabetes, and high cholesterol (dyslipidemia). But not all people with these problems are obese.
The researchers wanted to know: how many of these health issues are actually caused by obesity? That would show how important it is to prevent and treat obesity early.
Medical student Ashwin Chetty led this research. He had previously worked on a similar study focused on older adults. After meeting pediatrician Dr. James Nugent, Chetty realized the same questions could apply to young people. They teamed up with Dr. Mona Sharifi and used the same methods to look at teens and young adults.
They found that obesity causes 20–35% of cases of prediabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol in teens, and up to 40% of these cases in young adults. This means that if obesity were eliminated, many of these health problems could also be reduced.
The team says their next goal is to study how early treatment of obesity might reduce these health problems and lower long-term healthcare costs. They also want to look at the benefits of obesity programs for kids and teens.
Dr. Nugent praised Chetty’s work, saying it’s rare for someone to be published twice in the same month in a top journal like JAMA Pediatrics. Chetty used publicly available data and smart research questions, not big grants, to make an impact.
Chetty says his success is thanks to great mentors and the chance to work on research with both adult and pediatric doctors. He encourages other medical students to find faculty who are open to mentoring and willing to explore big questions.
This study shows the value of preventing and treating obesity early in life. Doing so can help prevent serious health issues and improve the well-being of future generations.
If you care about weight management, please read studies about diets that could boost your gut health and weight loss, and 10 small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain.
For more health information, please see recent studies about low-carb keto diet could manage obesity effectively and results showing popular weight loss diet linked to heart disease and cancer.
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