Early-Onset of obesity model: impact of early-onset obesity on comorbidity risk and life expectancy

Wiedemann, Urs C.H. ; van den Akker, Erica L.T. ; Barber, Thomas M. ; Clément, Karine ; Farooqi, Sadaf ; Goldstone, Anthony P. ; Haqq, Andrea M. ; Marcus, Claude ; Molnár, Dénes ; Moreno, Luis A. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Nadler, Evan P. ; Poitou, Christine ; Schorfheide, Jan Luca ; Touchot, Nicolas ; Wabitsch, Martin ; Kühnen, Peter

Resumen: Introduction. Early-onset obesity increases the risk of developing comorbidities and decreases life expectancy with many variables such as age of onset, severity, and duration of obesity each having an individual influence. Here, we present findings from a model that aims to assess the impact of early-onset obesity. Methods The Early-Onset Obesity Model (EOObesity Model) was built by integrating data from clinical studies with demographic information. It categorizes information into four primary groups: prevalence, morbidity risk, mortality risk, and impact of obesity duration. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular events (fatal and non-fatal events, cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and cancer were evaluated over a range of age and body mass index (BMI) z-scores. Results The EOObesity Model provides a systematic approach for estimating the impact of early-onset obesity on risk of comorbidities and on life expectancy by considering individual patient weight trajectories. We test different scenarios to illustrate the potential impact of age of onset and severity of obesity on the risk of various comorbidities, on life expectancy, and on disability-adjusted life years. The model indicates that severe early-onset obesity has a high impact on life expectancy with, for example, up to 42 years of life lost if a patient has a BMI z-score of 4 by the age of 4 years. Discussion The model and these scenarios underscore the predicted substantially detrimental effects of early-onset and prolonged obesity on life expectancy, and the increased risks of obesity-related comorbidities. They suggest that morbidity and mortality risks increase with obesity duration and severity in a nonlinear manner, thereby supporting the view that early weight loss intervention and obesity prevention strategies may reduce long-term health risks substantially.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1159/000549499

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Obesity Facts (2025), [15 pp.]
ISSN: 1662-4025

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Enfermería (Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería)