A US cohort analysis revealed that moderate weight gain from 18 or 21 to 55 years old was associated with significantly increased risk of major chronic diseases and mortality. A total of 92 837 women (97% white; mean weight gain: 12.6 kg over 37 years) and 25 303 men (97% white; mean weight gain: 9.7 kg over 34 years) were included in the analysis. During a follow-up of 18 years, compared with participants who maintained a stable weight (weight loss ≤2.5 kg or gain <2.5 kg), those who gained a moderate amount of weight (≥2.5-<10.0 kg) had increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (absolute rate difference/100 000 person-years of 98 in women and 111 in men), cardiovascular disease (61 in women), obesity-related cancer (37 in women and 42 in men), and mortality (51 among women who never smoked). The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for the composite healthy aging outcome (defined as being free of 11 chronic diseases and major cognitive or physical impairment) associated with moderate weight gain was 0.78 in women and 0.88 in men. Higher amounts of weight gain were associated with greater risks of major chronic diseases and lower likelihood of healthy aging. Source: http://jamanetwork.com/
