Women’s weight gain from childhood to adulthood may influence ageing process

Women who have substantial changes in body mass index (BMI) from childhood to adulthood show signs of accelerated ageing in their DNA, says research published in PLOS One.

Telomeres are situated at the ends of chromosomes and their job is to protect our genetic data. They shorten over time and their length is thought to be a biological marker for ageing. Short telomeres are also linked to a higher risk of age-related diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

So experts recorded telomere length in 5,598 people along with their BMIs at various stages in their lives. They revealed a potentially important link between shorter telomere length and dramatic changes in BMI from childhood to adulthood in women.

“Our research demonstrates that telomere length is related to measures of excess weight,” explains lead author, Pro Alexandra Blakemore. “But even more interestingly it showed that it is not just the BMI itself that is linked to telomere length, but the increase in BMI as women become adults. This suggests that if women put on more weight than expected they could suffer premature ageing and be at greater risk of age-related diseases.

“It also raises questions about the implications for women who change their weight dramatically and yo-yo between weight loss and weight gain. Currently we have little understanding around how this behaviour affects long-term health, but our research indicates that the study of telomere length could provide a window through which to investigate the impact of weight cycling on the ageing process and the risk of age-related diseases.”