Long-Term Obesity Linked to Expression of Aging Biomarkers

THURSDAY, July 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Long-term obesity is associated with the expression of biomarkers denoting antagonistic and integrative aging hallmarks in adults aged 28 to 31 years, according to a study published online July 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Paulina Correa-Burrows, Ph.D., from the Universidad de Chile, and colleagues examined the association between long-term obesity and the expression of biochemical aging markers in younger adults in a multiple-events case-control study embedded in the Santiago Longitudinal Study, a prospective Chilean birth cohort of adults aged 28 to 31 years. The body mass index (BMI) trajectory across the life course was classified as healthy BMI across the life course (group 1), persistent obesity since adolescence (group 2), or persistent obesity since childhood (group 3).

The study included a sample of 205 adults: 43, 21, and 36 percent in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The researchers found that the mean duration of obesity was 12.9 and 26.6 years in groups 2 and 3, respectively. There was an association for long-term obesity with adulthood expression of biomarkers denoting antagonistic and integrative aging hallmarks, including mean high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, fibroblast growth factor 21, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), IGF-2, apelin, and irisin. For the association of long-term obesity with adulthood expression of these markers, a large effect size was seen.

“Findings suggest long-term obesity was associated with premature physiological decline, inducing molecular aging signatures as early as age 28 to 31 years,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial