Overview
- A peer‑reviewed analysis in eClinicalMedicine of more than 620,000 Swedes found that becoming obese between ages 17 and 29 was linked to about a 70% higher risk of premature death than in people who never became obese by 60.
- Within that 17–29 window, each extra pound gained per year was tied to higher all‑cause mortality, about 18% for men and 16% for women.
- Type 2 diabetes showed the strongest link to early‑onset obesity, with additional ties to deaths from heart and kidney disease and certain cancers.
- Sex patterns emerged, with steep early gains connected to high‑blood‑pressure and liver‑cancer deaths in men and to higher uterine‑cancer deaths in women.
- Risks were weaker when weight was gained later in adulthood, supporting the view that longer exposure to excess weight drives harm, and the authors urge early, sustained prevention while noting the Swedish, observational data limit broad generalization.