Duration of overweight and metabolic health risk in American men and women.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between overweight duration and metabolic health risk.


METHODS
Subjects consisted of 4,874 participants, aged 30 to 64 years, from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Duration of overweight was determined from recalled weights from 10 years prior to the survey. Metabolic health risk was determined from a fasting blood sample and blood pressure measurements.


RESULTS
After adjusting for current body mass index, the relative odds for obesity-related comorbidities were not higher in men who had been overweight for < 10 years compared with men with a normal weight. However, the likelihood [odds ratios (95% confidence intervals)] of hypertriglyceridemia [2.39 (1.34-4.27)] and the metabolic syndrome [2.15 (1.01-4.57)] were increased in men who had been overweight for > or = 10 years compared with normal weight men. In women there was a graded increase (p < 0.001) in the likelihood of numerous metabolic disorders when moving from the normal weight to overweight < 10 year to overweight > or = 10 year categories.


CONCLUSIONS
The duration of overweight has a significant effect on obesity-related comorbidities in men and women.
Janssen
Ian
I
Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen's University, Kingston, K7l 3N6, Ontario, Canada.
Katzmarzyk
Peter T
PT
Ross
Robert
R
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology