Long-Term Obesity Linked to Elevated Aging Biomarkers

Long-term obesity could trigger aging-related molecular signals in young adults, according to study results published by investigators in JAMA Network Open. Whether obesity accelerates biological aging and contributes to early-onset chronic disease has remained unclear. This uncertainty prompted researchers to investigate the relationship between long-term obesity and the expression of biochemical aging markers in younger adults.¹

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Obesity & Chronic Diseases

Obesity is defined as an excessive fat accumulation with a body mass index (BMI) over 30. According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, an estimated 5 million noncommunicable deaths were caused by higher-than-optimal BMI. Additionally, rates of overweight and obesity are rising globally. Between 1990 and 2022, obesity in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years increased from 2% to 8%, whereas adult obesity more than doubled from 7% to 16%.²

Obesity shortens lifespan and increases the risk of early-onset chronic diseases. It accelerates age-related conditions such as sarcopenia, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and immune decline, which are increasingly seen in younger populations. The study authors noted that previous research suggests that obesity and aging share biological traits—including inflammation, microbiome imbalance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence—indicating that obesity may drive accelerated aging; however, they noted that the exact molecular mechanisms remain unclear, underscoring the urgency as global obesity rates continue to rise.¹

Obesity & Biological Aging

To further assess the relationship between obesity and biological aging, researchers conducted a case-control study from a Chilean perspective cohort, aged 28 to 31 years, whose health and nutrition data were collected from September 1992 onward.¹

Researchers collected blood samples from 947 participants between April 2022 and June 2023. For this study, 205 individuals were selected into 3 groups—those with lifelong healthy BMI (43%), those with persistent obesity since adolescence (21%), and those with persistent obesity since childhood (36%).¹

The results demonstrated that there was no link between sex and BMI trajectory, and participants were aged 28 to 31 years regardless of group. Obesity began at a mean age of 1.9 years in group 3 and 15.8 years in group 2, with average obesity durations of 26.6 years and 12.9 years, respectively. Only 1 participant reported having type 1 diabetes, and 3 were taking metformin for glucose intolerance.¹

Additionally, long-term obesity was linked to higher levels of aging-related biomarkers, including hs-CRP, IL-6, FGF-21, IGF-1, IGF-2, apelin, and irisin. The study authors noted that these connections demonstrate large effect sizes, indicating a strong relationship between long-term obesity and adulthood expression of aging hallmarks in adults aged 28 to 31 years.¹

“Long-term obesity was associated with the emergence of molecular signals linked to primary, antagonistic, and integrative aging hallmarks in young adults. Obesity was associated with serious cardiometabolic abnormalities, potentially leading to early-onset cardiometabolic diseases,” the authors said in the study.¹

The findings suggest that young adults who experience obesity can also present chronic health issues due to the accelerated biological aging that is associated with the weight gain.¹

REFERENCES

1. Correa-Burrows P, Burrows R, Albala C, et al. Long-Term Obesity and Biological Aging in Young Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2520011. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.20011

2. World Health Organization. Obesity. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1