Longevity & AgingLong-Term Obesity Accelerates Biological Aging by 15% in Young Adults
A Chilean longitudinal study of 205 adults aged 28-31 found that long-term obesity accelerates biological aging at the molecular level. Participants with obesity since childhood or adolescence showed epigenetic ages 15-16% older than their chronological age, with some cases reaching 48% older. The study measured DNA methylation patterns, telomere length, and inflammatory markers, finding that obesity triggers aging-related changes including chronic inflammation, cellular stress signals, and shortened telomeres—hallmarks typically seen in much older individuals.
