The study reported that women who were overweight or obese at age 14 or 31 have an increased risk of having an ischemic stroke before age 55, while men with excess weight at those ages did not have an increased risk of clot-based stroke. Weight loss after the teen years did not eliminate the increased risk of stroke. The researchers analyzed data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, which included over 12,000 pregnant women and now follows over 10,000 of their offspring. They found that women classified as obese at age 14 were 87% more likely, and those at age 31 were 167% more likely to have a clot-caused stroke compared to those with a healthy weight. Men with obesity at age 31 had a 5.5 times higher risk of a bleeding stroke, while weight loss after adolescence might not eliminate stroke risk, especially for women with excess weight in their 20s.
The study followed 10,491 participants in their 50s, with 49% being women, from birth until an initial stroke, death, moving abroad, or the end of 2020. The researchers classified participants as overweight or obese based on their body mass index (BMI) at ages 14, 31, or both. Women with obesity at age 31 had almost 3.5 times increased risk of a bleeding stroke, while those with excess weight at either age 14 or 31 had a higher risk of stroke before age 55. Men who were overweight or obese at those ages did not have an increased risk of clot-caused stroke. Women who had excess weight as a teen should monitor their weight during their 30s, according to the researchers, and healthcare professionals should promote healthy eating and physical activity from an early age to reduce the risk of stroke later in life.
Dr. José Morales, a vascular neurologist, cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from the study, stating that further research is needed to validate the findings in other populations. Dr. Larry Goldstein, a professor at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, emphasized the need to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between overweight/obesity and stroke in younger populations. Limitations of the study include its observational nature and the fact that the participants were all born in Finland, which may limit the generalizability of the results to other populations. Women generally have a higher risk of stroke and worse outcomes, with hormonal differences and other factors playing a role in stroke risk disparities between men and women.
Risk factors for stroke that occur in both men and women include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and atrial fibrillation (AFib). However, there are also unique risk factors for stroke in women, such as hormonal differences and the use of certain medications. Lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, being physically active, controlling blood pressure, and eating a healthy diet, can help prevent strokes. The American Heart Association emphasizes the importance of starting these healthy lifestyle habits as early as possible to reduce the risk of stroke. While the study showed that corrective lifestyle changes did not reduce stroke risk in participants with excess weight in their teens and 30s, more robust data suggest that appropriate lifestyle changes and preventive measures can prevent up to 80% of strokes.
