According to a study by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, a high adolescent body mass index may be linked to accelerated biological aging in adulthood. Researchers assessed participants’ biological age and examined whether adolescent BMI was associated with the rate of biological aging, finding that genetic predisposition to a high body mass index is associated with this accelerated aging process.
How Adolescent BMI Connects to Biological Aging
Researchers used a method known as Mendelian randomization to investigate whether adolescent BMI has a causal effect on biological aging. According to doctoral researcher Anni Pitkänen, the results indicate that higher adolescent BMI may be causally associated with accelerated biological aging. “Adolescents with both a genetic predisposition to high BMI and a high BMI may experience accelerated biological aging,” Pitkänen stated, noting that this could increase the risk of developing obesity-related diseases later in life, as well as premature death.
The observed associations may partly reflect adult BMI, as a higher body mass index during adolescence often continues into adult life. Because obesity-related diseases typically develop over many years, Pitkänen emphasized the importance of preventing overweight and obesity throughout the entire life course.
Did you know? Biological age does not always progress at the same rate as chronological age. Faster biological aging has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases and premature death, and measuring it may help identify health risks before they become apparent in clinical assessments.
Measuring Epigenetic Clocks and Long-Term Health Risks
In the study, participants’ biological age was assessed using DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks, which are computational models developed using machine-learning methods. The study included participants from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, whose BMI was measured during adolescence between the ages of 9 and 18. Participants have been followed for approximately 40 years, with health and lifestyle information collected at multiple time points.
Genetic predisposition to a higher BMI was assessed using a polygenic risk score that summarizes the effects of hundreds of genetic variants associated with body mass index. This research serves as the first publication arising from Anni Pitkänen’s doctoral dissertation, which examines body weight trajectories from childhood to adulthood and their links to genetics, environmental influences, and biological aging.
Understanding the Transition to Severe Adult Obesity
Expanding on the risks of adolescent weight trajectories, a prospective cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated the association of adolescent weight with the risk of severe obesity in adulthood. Led by Natalie S.
The study found that among individuals who were obese as adolescents, incident severe obesity reached 37.1 percent in men and 51.3 percent in women by follow-up. Furthermore, incident severe obesity was highest among black women at 52.4 percent. Compared with normal-weight or overweight adolescents, obese adolescents were significantly more likely to become severely obese in young adulthood, yielding a hazard ratio of 16.0.
Pro Tip: Data from longitudinal samples highlight a high incidence of severe obesity during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Clinical implications emphasize the need for interventions prior to adulthood to prevent the progression of obesity and its potentially life-threatening consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is biological age measured in these studies?
Biological age is assessed using DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks, which are computational models developed through machine-learning methods to evaluate health risks beyond chronological age.
What did the University of Jyväskylä study discover about adolescent BMI?
The study found that a high adolescent body mass index and a genetic predisposition to it are linked to accelerated biological aging in adulthood, potentially increasing the risk of premature death and chronic diseases.
How does adolescent obesity impact adult weight status?
Adolescents who are obese face a significantly higher risk of developing severe obesity in young adulthood, with varying rates across sex and racial or ethnic groups.
Collaborators and Funding Sources
The Jyväskylä research is part of the GenActive project led by Associate Professor Elina Sillanpää, which investigates how genetic inheritance and lifestyle interact in shaping common diseases, biological aging, and a healthy lifespan. The study received funding from the Research Council of Finland, the Juho Vainio Foundation, and the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Gerontology Research Center (GEREC), the Universities of Tampere and Turku, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM).
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