Overweight people are more likely to have a heart attack at younger ages, according to a study published in September.

Researchers reviewed the records of more than 110,000 patients who'd had a certain type of heart attack, and found that the average age at the heart attack was 74 in the leanest individuals and 58 in the most obese.

After taking into account other factors, they found that overweight people had their first heart attack 3.5 years earlier than those at a healthier weight. Obese individuals had their first attack nearly 7 years earlier, and the heaviest of the obese had theirs 12 years earlier.

The study's authors point out that the high rates of obesity in the United States mean that heart attacks may turn into a health problem that often occurs during people's working lives, rather than in retirement. The resulting disability, hospitalizations, and early death that can occur after a heart attack earlier in life can have a major impact not just on the patients, but on their families too.

The good news is that many studies have shown that losing excess weight can lower your risk of death from heart problems.

Source: Madala, MC, Obesity and age of first non-ST-segment evaluation myocardial infarction, J Am Coll Cardiol, Sept. 16, 2008

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