Obesity in youth poses health dangers later in life, even after weight loss, according to a new study.

Researchers say women who have gone through obesity during adulthood may still suffer from heart disease linked to obesity, even after weight loss. They are still at risk of sudden cardiac attacks later in life.

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72,484 women free of chronic disease from 1980 to 2012 were examined in the study for over 32 years. The participants' adult height, current weight, and weight at age 18 at baseline were recorded. Their BMI was updated every two years.

During those 32 years, 445 sudden cardiac deaths, almost 1,300 deaths from heart disease, and nearly 2,300 nonfatal heart attacks were recorded, according to the researchers.

According to the same news report, for overweight and obese women, the chances of getting sudden cardiac attack is higher compared to those women who had a healthy weight during adulthood. The women who were overweight or obese at the beginning of the study had an "increased risk of sudden cardiac death throughout all 32 years of the study" despite weight loss.

The researchers also found that women who gained weight a few years later are also susceptible to sudden cardiac death, regardless of their BMI at the age of 18.

"In fact, women who gained 44 pounds or more during early-to-mid-adulthood had a nearly twofold increased risk of sudden cardiac death, compared to women who'd stayed slim," CBS News stated.

The researchers also said that obese and overweight women are prone to heart disease and nonfatal heart attacks but the link between these variables is weak compared to sudden cardiac death.

Stephanie Chiuve, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study, noted that the fact that previously overweight and obese women are experiencing cardiac risk despite being slim today is interesting.

Chiuve urged people to maintain a healthy weight throughout adulthood to avoid cardiac risks.

"It is important to maintain a healthy weight throughout adulthood as a way to minimize the risk of sudden cardiac death," she said.

Dr. Mitchell Rosln, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City agreed that obesity's effect "is multi-dimensional and impacts the entire body. He said "weight loss and physical fitness should be highlighted.

"These study results are alarming and really mean that weight loss and physical fitness need to emphasized," he aadded.

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