Excess weight in childhood is not merely an aesthetic or psychological problem. Two large-scale scientific studies conducted in Denmark show that overweight children may face a significantly higher risk of life-threatening diseases in the future, such as stroke and colon (large intestine) cancer.
Previous studies had already proven that excess weight and obesity increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in adults. However, the direct link between these risks and body weight formed during childhood has now been demonstrated for the first time using such extensive and long-term data.
Both studies were presented this month at the European Obesity Summit held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Childhood BMI and the Risk of Early Stroke
Researchers assessed obesity not only by weight, but by Body Mass Index (BMI), which reflects the ratio of height to weight. This is important because the same weight can represent very different health profiles depending on height.
The study in this area was led by Line Klingen Haugaard from the University of Copenhagen. Her team analyzed long-term health records of 307,000 Danish citizens born between 1930 and 1987.
During the study:
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more than 3,500 women
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and approximately 5,400 men
experienced an ischemic stroke in adulthood. This type of stroke is characterized by a blockage of blood flow to a part of the brain and can be fatal.
Researchers calculated participants’ BMI values between the ages of 7 and 13 using early school health records. (Denmark is one of the few countries with such detailed and long-term national health archives.)
Key finding:
Individuals with a higher BMI by the age of 13 had a significantly increased risk of early stroke between the ages of 25 and 55.
After the age of 55, childhood BMI no longer showed a measurable effect on stroke risk.
For example:
A schoolgirl who was 156.7 cm tall and weighed 51.4 kg had a 26% higher risk of stroke in adulthood compared to a girl of the same height who weighed 6.8 kg less.
A similar association was observed among boys who were overweight in childhood.
Haugaard suggests that a high BMI starting in childhood may lead to gradual hardening and narrowing of blood vessels in the brain over many years. This process increases the risk of stroke at a younger age. After 55, other risk factors such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes become more dominant.
Childhood Weight and the Risk of Colon Cancer
The second study examined the relationship between excess weight in childhood and the risk of colon cancer in adulthood.
This research included approximately 250,000 Danes born between 1930 and 1972 and was conducted by Britt Wang Jensen and her team from Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals.
Comparison with national cancer registries revealed that:
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around 2,700 individuals developed colon cancer.
The higher the BMI in childhood, the greater the risk of colon cancer in adulthood.
A simple comparison:
If two children of the same height differ in weight by 5.9 kg, the heavier child has approximately a 9% higher risk of developing colon cancer later in life.
Expert Evaluation
Pediatrician Stephen Daniels from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who did not participate in the studies but reviewed the findings, states:
“The greatest strength of these studies lies in their large populations and long follow-up periods. Tracking individuals over so many decades is extremely difficult, which makes these findings particularly valuable.”
Daniels emphasizes that both studies clearly demonstrate the importance of maintaining a healthy weight at every age and adds:
“Healthy nutrition and an active lifestyle in childhood are the most important issues for children and parents to consider.”
Conclusion
These studies show that excess weight in childhood is one of the key determinants of future health. Obesity developed at an early age can create the foundation for:
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early stroke,
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colon cancer,
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and other life-threatening adult diseases.
A healthy childhood is the beginning of a healthy adulthood.