Childhood Obesity, Not Cholesterol, Linked to Death Before Age 55

High body-mass index, increased levels of glucose intolerance, and hypertension in childhood are all linked to premature death, according to a study of American Indians published in the New England Journal of Medicine.


Researchers assessed the BMI, glucose tolerance, cholesterol, and blood pressure of nearly 5000 nondiabetic children aged 5 to 19 and then followed them for a median of almost 25 years. Rates of death before age 55 among those in the highest quartile of BMI were more than double those with BMIs in the lowest quartile. Similarly, those with the highest levels of glucose intolerance at baseline showed significantly higher premature mortality, as did those with childhood hypertension.


Childhood cholesterol levels showed no association with early death.


The authors conclude that this evidence "underscores the importance of preventing obesity starting in the early years of life."