The Health Consequences of Obesity in Young Adulthood

Overview

Journal Curr Obes Rep

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2016 Feb 3

PMID 26830309

Citations 35

Authors

Hoi Lun Cheng

Sharon Medlow

Katharine Steinbeck

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Young adults are gaining weight faster than any age group. This weight gain and the appearance of obesity-related comorbidities often commence in adolescence. Psychosocial distress and mental health issues are common and debilitating, and treatment approaches are likely to be similar to those for adolescents. At the same time, young adults may have physical morbidities which will continue and worsen throughout adulthood, such as hypertension, diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Health consequences of obesity are challenging to manage in young adults as their symptoms may be minimal, they are less likely to engage with healthcare due to other life priorities and their neurocognitive developmental stage makes therapy adherence difficult. Clinicians who manage young adults with obesity need to be aware of these age-specific challenges, as well as the sexual and reproductive health concerns that are present in this age group.

Citing Articles

Exploring body mass index and gender-based self-esteem differences in Saudi Arabia.

Algamdi M Front Public Health. 2025; 12:1495973.

PMID: 39975697 PMC: 11836716. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1495973.

University Students' Sociodemographics, Physical Inactivity, and Inadequate and Poor-Quality Sleep Are Associated With Their Overweight/Obesity: Findings From a Case-Control Study in Bangladesh.

Banna M, Hamiduzzaman M, Akter S, Seidu A, Begum A, Yeasmin N Health Sci Rep. 2025; 8(2):e70454.

PMID: 39957972 PMC: 11825981. DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.70454.

Attenuates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity and Especially Glucose Intolerance.

Ji T, Fang B, Jin Y, Zheng C, Yuan X, Dong J Nutrients. 2024; 16(21).

PMID: 39519613 PMC: 11548234. DOI: 10.3390/nu16213780.

New Body Mass Index Cut-Off Point for Obesity Diagnosis in Young Thai Adults.

Kuichanuan T, Kitisatorn T, Pongchaiyakul C Nutrients. 2024; 16(14).

PMID: 39064659 PMC: 11279830. DOI: 10.3390/nu16142216.

Prevalence of Smartphone Addiction and its Relationship with Obesity among Young Adults: A Cross-sectional Study from Delhi, India.

Das P, Saraswathy K, Chaudhary V Indian J Community Med. 2024; 49(3):544-548.

PMID: 38933784 PMC: 11198534. DOI: 10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_288_23.

References

Needham B, Epel E, Adler N, Kiefe C . Trajectories of change in obesity and symptoms of depression: the CARDIA study. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100(6):1040-6. PMC: 2866598. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.172809. View

Staiano A, Katzmarzyk P . Ethnic and sex differences in body fat and visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in children and adolescents. Int J Obes (Lond). 2012; 36(10):1261-9. PMC: 4129655. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2012.95. View

Musil R, Obermeier M, Russ P, Hamerle M . Weight gain and antipsychotics: a drug safety review. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2014; 14(1):73-96. DOI: 10.1517/14740338.2015.974549. View

De Coster S, van Larebeke N . Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: associated disorders and mechanisms of action. J Environ Public Health. 2012; 2012:713696. PMC: 3443608. DOI: 10.1155/2012/713696. View

Gomez J, Ross S, Calmbach W, Kimmel R, Schmidt D, Dhanda R . Body fatness and increased injury rates in high school football linemen. Clin J Sport Med. 1998; 8(2):115-20. DOI: 10.1097/00042752-199804000-00010. View

Anderson A, Burt Solorzano C, McCartney C . Childhood obesity and its impact on the development of adolescent PCOS. Semin Reprod Med. 2014; 32(3):202-13. PMC: 4103796. DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1371092. View

Herva A, Laitinen J, Miettunen J, Veijola J, Karvonen J, Laksy K . Obesity and depression: results from the longitudinal Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2005; 30(3):520-7. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803174. View

Prencipe A, Kesek A, Cohen J, Lamm C, Lewis M, Zelazo P . Development of hot and cool executive function during the transition to adolescence. J Exp Child Psychol. 2010; 108(3):621-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2010.09.008. View

Arnett J . Emerging adulthood. A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. Am Psychol. 2000; 55(5):469-80. View

10.

Liang J, Matheson B, Kaye W, Boutelle K . Neurocognitive correlates of obesity and obesity-related behaviors in children and adolescents. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013; 38(4):494-506. PMC: 4456183. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2013.142. View

11.

Suren P, Gunnes N, Roth C, Bresnahan M, Hornig M, Hirtz D . Parental obesity and risk of autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics. 2014; 133(5):e1128-38. PMC: 4006442. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-3664. View

12.

Larson N, Laska M, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D . Predictors of fruit and vegetable intake in young adulthood. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012; 112(8):1216-22. PMC: 3402589. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.03.035. View

13.

Barbour L . Changing perspectives in pre-existing diabetes and obesity in pregnancy: maternal and infant short- and long-term outcomes. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2014; 21(4):257-63. DOI: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000079. View

14.

Twig G, Afek A, Derazne E, Tzur D, Cukierman-Yaffe T, Gerstein H . Diabetes risk among overweight and obese metabolically healthy young adults. Diabetes Care. 2014; 37(11):2989-95. DOI: 10.2337/dc14-0869. View

15.

Garcia O, Long K, Rosado J . Impact of micronutrient deficiencies on obesity. Nutr Rev. 2009; 67(10):559-72. DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00228.x. View

16.

Shams T, Muller D . Antipsychotic induced weight gain: genetics, epigenetics, and biomarkers reviewed. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2014; 16(10):473. DOI: 10.1007/s11920-014-0473-9. View

17.

McCrea R, Berger Y, King M . Body mass index and common mental disorders: exploring the shape of the association and its moderation by age, gender and education. Int J Obes (Lond). 2011; 36(3):414-21. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2011.65. View

18.

Ayer J, Harmer J, Nakhla S, Xuan W, Ng M, Raitakari O . HDL-cholesterol, blood pressure, and asymmetric dimethylarginine are significantly associated with arterial wall thickness in children. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009; 29(6):943-9. DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.109.184184. View

19.

Fitzpatrick S, Gilbert S, Serpell L . Systematic review: are overweight and obese individuals impaired on behavioural tasks of executive functioning?. Neuropsychol Rev. 2013; 23(2):138-56. DOI: 10.1007/s11065-013-9224-7. View

20.

Day F, Elks C, Murray A, Ong K, Perry J . Puberty timing associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and also diverse health outcomes in men and women: the UK Biobank study. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:11208. PMC: 4471670. DOI: 10.1038/srep11208. View