Image by Bruno from Pixabay
Image by Bruno from Pixabay

Long term obesity from childhood could make you age faster

Embargoed until: Publicly released:
Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

Having a high body mass index (BMI) from early childhood or adolescence has been linked to faster 'biological ageing', with a Chilean study showing that kids with long term obesity showed biological signs of ageing that suggested they were 2.23 years to 4.68 years older than their actual age by the time they were around 30. A linked editorial says that a new awareness of the effect of obesity in accelerating the ageing process represents an additional element for educational campaigns that aim to address the globesity epidemic.

Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open

Research: Paper

Organisation/s: Universidad de Chile

Funder: This research was supported by grant ACT210006 from ANID (Chile) through Anillos de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología (Dr Correa-Burrows); FONDECYT #1210283 from Fondo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (Prof Burrows); and FONDAP #15150012 from Centro de Gerociencia, Salud Mental yMetabolismo (Prof Gonzalez-Billault). Fundación MAPFRE (Spain) also provided support from grant MAPFRE-2101 through Ayudas a la Investigación Ignacio H. de Larramendi (Dr Correa-Burrows).

Media release

From: JAMA

Long-Term Obesity and Biological Aging in Young Adults

JAMA Network Open

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

About The Study: In this multiple-events case-control study, long-term obesity was associated with the expression of biochemical aging markers in adults ages 28 to 31, consistent with epigenetic alterations, telomere attrition, chronic inflammation, impaired nutrient sensing, mitochondrial stress, and compromised intercellular communication. In young adults, chronic health issues may emerge from accelerated biological aging associated with long-term obesity.

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.20011)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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