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Being overweight in adolescence or early adulthood is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular disease among women, according to a study published online June 6 in Stroke.
Ursula Mikkola, from the University of Oulu in Finland, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the effect of body mass index (BMI) and its changes in adolescence and young adulthood (ages 14 and 31 years) on early-onset cerebrovascular disease through age 54 years in a study including 10,491 people.
During follow-up, 452 individuals (4.7 percent) experienced cerebrovascular disease. The researchers found that compared with normal weight, the risk for ischemic cerebrovascular disease was increased at ages 14 and 31 years for women with overweight (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 2.49 [1.44 to 4.31] and 2.13 [1.14 to 3.97], respectively) and obesity (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.87 [0.76 to 4.58] and 2.67 [1.26 to 5.65], respectively). The results were independent of BMI at earlier or later time points. Men did not have similar associations. Women and men with obesity had an increased risk for hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease at age 31 years (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 3.49 [1.13 to 10.7] and 5.75 [1.43 to 23.1], respectively). At age 14 years, the risk for any cerebrovascular disease related to overweight was 2.09 times higher among girls than boys. At age 31 years, the risk for ischemic cerebrovascular disease related to obesity was 6.96 times higher among women than men.
“The association between childhood overweight and adult cerebrovascular disease is independent of overweight or obesity in adulthood, highlighting the importance for children to achieve and maintain healthy weights,” the authors write.
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