New research has revealed that alarming link between childhood obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adulthood.
According to News Medical, research presented at the 2025 European Congress on Obesity in Spain showed that children who have obesity trajectories or are overweight at an early age have a higher risk of COPD in adulthood.
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The study led by Frida Richter and Professor Jennifer Lyn Baker analysed the data from 276,747 Danish children (137,493 girls) born from 1930–1982, who had between 2 and 12 weight and height measurements between ages 6 and 15 years from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register.
The study aimed to find whether trajectories of body mass index (BMI) in childhood were associated with COPD or not.
The researchers explained, “Having a BMI trajectory above average in childhood may increase the risk of subsequent COPD. Thus, our results suggest that being overweight during this early period of life is an indicator of risk for the development of COPD."
Researchers said that parental smoking and socioeconomic status were potential and unmeasured confounders in this study.
“However, since the effect estimates were consistent across birth cohorts, despite various medical, cultural, and socioeconomic changes over the study period, the bias is considered limited, meaning that overweight and obesity in childhood are likely to be independent indicators of risk for COPD in adulthood," they noted.
The researchers also found women who were slightly overweight had a 10% higher risk of COPD, while overweight women had a 26% and obese women had a 65% increased risk.
In contrast, men who were slightly overweight in childhood have a 7% higher risk of getting COPD, overweight men have a 16% and obese men have a 40% higher risk.
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