Obese teenagers earn up to 18% less than their slimmer counterparts
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Our results suggest that the rapid increase in childhood and adolescent obesity could have long-lasting effects on the economic growth and productivity of nations.
Obese boys grow up to earn up to 18 per cent less than those who are thin, a study has revealed.
Swedish researchers say the loss of earnings can be translated into missing three years of school or a degree.
And they believe the wage difference might be because obese teenagers often possess lower levels of academic and social skills.
Previous studies have shown that obesity in childhood and the teenage years is linked with bullying, lower self-esteem and discrimination by fellow students and teachers.
'Old people who are retired tend not to have such large appetites and they tend to have time to the exercise that younger men aren't able to do.
'It's a dome - you start normal size, then you go up, then you come down again.
'Unfortunately over the last 20 or 30 years the 'active' lifestyle has involved sitting behind computers as opposed to going out on the land and tilling the soil.'
In the new study, the team of Swedish researchers looking into how childhood obesity affects men's salary as an adult, compared information from Sweden, the UK and the US.
They analysed the date of around 145,000 Swedish-born brothers who were conscripted to the Swedish National Service military between 1984 and 1997.
obesity is a disease
