By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Women who were overweight as a teenager or young adult are far more likely to suffer a stroke by the age of 55, warns new research
But men who were overweight as youngsters do not have the same risk, according to the 40-year study.
Researchers found that women carrying excess weight at age 14 or 31 may be at an increased risk of suffering an ischemic, or clot-caused, stroke before the age of 55.
Even slimming down after adolescence may not eliminate the risk, say scientists.
Finnish scientists followed more than 10,000 men and women from birth for the study, published in the journal Stroke.
They found women obese at the age of 14 were 87% more likely to have an early clot-caused stroke or mini-stroke, while those obese at the age of 31 were 167% more likely to have a stroke compared to those of an appropriate weight.
Women obese at the age of 31 were almost 3.5 times more likely to suffer a bleeding stroke, and men obese at age 31 had a more than 5.5 times increased risk of a bleeding stroke.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed. They account for 87% of all strokes.
The study suggests that women who were overweight at age 14 were associated with later clot-caused stroke risk despite having lost weight by the age of 31.
And women who were overweight aged 31, were associated with later clot-caused stroke risk despite having been normal weight at the age of 14.
An increased risk of clot-caused stroke was not found in men who were overweight at ages 14 or 31.
But men who were clinically obese, aged 31, had a higher risk of a bleeding stroke compared to women who were obese at the same age.
Study lead author Ursula Mikkola said: “Our findings suggest that being overweight may have long-term health effects even if the excess weight is temporary.
“Health care professionals should pay attention to overweight and obesity in young people and work with them to develop healthier eating patterns and physical activity.
“However, conversations with teens and young adults about weight should be approached in a non-judgmental and non-stigmatising manner.”
The research team used body mass index (BMI) to explore whether those who were overweight or obese at age 14 or age 31 had a different risk of early stroke compared to their peers who were not overweight or obese at the same age.
Around one in 20 participants experienced a clot-caused stroke or transient ischemic attack, or mini-stroke, during the average follow-up period of almost 39 years after the evaluation at the age of 14 and almost 23 years after the evaluation at 31.
BMI measurements earlier in childhood or later in adulthood did not appear to affect the results.
But the research team said that it is important to note that weight is not the only health factor that impacts stroke risk.
Mikkola said: “By living a healthy lifestyle – eating better, not smoking, healthy sleep, managing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels, avoiding excess alcohol use and being physically active, you can lower your risk of stroke even if you were overweight when you were younger.”
The researchers do not know why the association of increased risk for clot-caused stroke was not found in men.
They are currently investigating the potential causes as well as other risk factors in more detail.
Mikkola, an investigator in the Research Unit of Population Health at the University of Oulu in Finland, added: “Stroke at a young age is rare, so the difference of just a few strokes could have an outsized impact on the risk estimates.
“Also, BMI relies solely on a person’s height and weight, therefore, a high BMI may be a misleading way to define obesity, especially in muscular people who may carry little fat even while weighing more.”
Professor Larry Goldstein, of the American Heart Association Stroke Council, said of the findings: “This study provides additional evidence of an association between overweight/obesity and stroke in young adults.
“However, while it is tempting to assume that reductions in overweight/obesity in younger populations would translate to lower stroke rates in young adults, this remains to be proven.”
