New research suggests that women who gain a lot of weight between the ages of 18 and middle age are much less likely to enjoy a long and healthy life. To be precise, the study found that the odds were reduced by 79 percent when compared with lean women.

These findings underscore the importance of maintaining a healthy weight from early adulthood. The study also found that for every one kilogram of weight since the age of 18, it reduced healthy survival by 5 percent, and for every single unit increase in body mass index, there was a 12 percent decrease in healthy survival. Those women who were overweight at age 18 and gained 10kg by middle age were 59 percent less likely to reach healthy survival, putting them at the highest risk.

Healthy survival was defined as those who survived to the age of 70, and had no major chronic diseases, as well as having good physical, cognitive and and mental health.