Gaining Less Than 2 Kgs Every Year in 20s Can Put Women at Obesity Risk

Experts always advise maintaining a healthy weight in order to ward off lifestyle diseases. An upward trend in weight gain over the years may lead to a host of ailments later in life. Obesity or a BMI above 25 is often linked to the risk of developing heart diseases, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases like cancer. A new study conducted by the experts at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia suggests that women who gain close two pounds every year in their 20s are more susceptible to getting obese in their 40s.

It was also found that women whose body-weight gain was under 0.19kgs per year were able to maintain a healthy weight later in life. The study was presented at the European Congress of Obesity in Portugal and studied women ageing 18-23 years.

Smoking, use of oral contraceptives or turbulence in married life such as divorce, death of a partner or separation were also found as some of the contributory factors in weight gain in women. Some of the most recent studies link obesity in women - especially abdominal obesity - with metabolic issues like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Obesity is also one of the major causes of postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancer.

"Obesity is associated with elevated mortality from all causes in both men and women, and the risk of death rises with increasing weight. Curbing the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes calls for not only changes in diet and lifestyle at individual levels but also changes in policy, physical and social environment, and cultural norms," a study published in US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.