Teenage Obesity Linked To MS Risk

Boston, MA (AHN) – New research from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests obesity in the teen years may be associated with a high risk of developing multiple sclerosis as an adult.

Specifically, the study says that obese teenage women may be more than twice as likely to develop MS compared to their non-obese peers. The study appears in the Nov. 10 print issue of the journal Neurology.

To come to their conclusions, the researchers looked at the health histories of 238,371 women between 25 and 55 years old. These women answered a questionnaire about their health behavior and medical information every two years.

Over the course of 40 years, almost 600 of the women developed MS, the researchers said in a statement.

The study’s main author, Kassandra Munger, said in a statement that weight during adolescence, not childhood or adulthood, is “critical” in determining the risk of developing MS.

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