A heavier weight in adolescence is associated with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis at a younger age, according to subgroup cohort of 184 women who provided weight and height information from the age of first menstruation and at age 25.
Investigators calculated BMI and used regression analyses to investigate an association, and found having a higher weight at menarche, weight at age 25, and BMI at age 25 were each significantly related to younger mean age at symptom onset by an average of 5 years:
• overweight: 26.9 years old
• not overweight: 32.1 years old
Citation: Kavak KS, Teter BE, Hagemeier J, Zakalik K, Weinstock-Guttman B; New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium. Higher weight in adolescence and young adulthood is associated with an earlier age at multiple sclerosis onset. Mult Scler. 2015;21(7):858-865. doi:10.1177/1352458514555787.