A recent study has detected a potential long-term risk of childhood obesity that has nothing to do with one’s physical health. It has been suggested that a high BMI in childhood may be a risk factor for developing schizophrenia later in life.
The paper, which appeared in the journal Science Advances, employed a novel genetic technique, called Mendelian randomization, to study the causality of various psychiatric disorders with the BMI measured at different life stages. Since BMI data at childhood (ages 2-10) and adulthood needed to be disentangled, the authors used large-scale genome-wide association studies where such genetic data are analyzed.
Key Findings:
- Childhood obesity appears directly associated with schizophrenia risk in later life, irrespective of adult BMI.
- Increased adult BMI was linked to lower chances of developing OCD and schizophrenia.
- The relationship between BMI in childhood and being at risk of developing schizophrenia persisted even after behavioral risk factors were taken into account, including sleep, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking, income and education.
Lead author Dr. Pei Xiao emphasizes the importance of these findings: “Here, we present evidence for the very first time that childhood BMI has a causal and lasting effect on the risk of developing Schizophrenia later in life. This points towards the urgent need for timely measures in the early years to reverse the harmful impact of childhood-obesity on mental health in the future.”
While a clear explanation for the connection between obesity in childhood and development of schizophrenia has not yet been proposed, the researchers do not dismiss any explanations:
- Disruption of brain systems or structure during periods of neurodevelopmental plasticity
- Alterations in gut microbiota composition which some studies have linked to brain health
- Modulation of stress response systems
- Psychosocial changes resulting from childhood obesity i.e. bullying from peers
Another interesting finding was the negative correlation between weight of adult patients and occurrence of mood disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The possible reason they were guessing could be hormonal changes or other neuroprotective effects of being overweight later in the adult life.
This research is also relevant for designing public health policies and proper clinical practice. needless to say it is evidence based intervention for a growing public health concern of childhood obesity as well as in averting longer term risks of severe mental disorders.
Dr. Jinyi Wu, senior author of the study, concludes:
‘Our results highlight a case for preventive measures commencing as early as childhood in order to safeguard mental health in later years. We hope that this research will assist policymakers and other professionals in preventing such an epidemic and its consequences more efficiently at an early age.’
This is rather too simplistic, and it is true as more research is required in order to appreciate the diverse interactions between body weight, mental state, and other factors across various life stages. Nonetheless, this particular research is a strong argument to regard childhood obesity as an even greater public health problem than previously thought.
