Childhood Obesity Significantly Increases Risk of Developing Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds

A comprehensive Swedish study reveals that children with obesity face more than double the odds of being diagnosed with MS in adulthood.

The study, conducted by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, tracked over 21,600 children from 1995 to 2020, comparing their MS diagnosis rates with those of non-obese children.
Children with obesity were found to have a 0.13% chance of developing MS, compared to 0.06% for non-obese children, effectively doubling their risk.
The average age of MS diagnosis among both obese and non-obese individuals was around 23 years.
Researchers suggest that chronic low-grade inflammation caused by obesity in childhood could increase the risk of developing MS and other autoimmune diseases.
Findings are to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice in May and are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.