Obesity takes off a decade from life, study finds

London, March 18: Adding more to the detrimental effects of obesity, a latest study of nearly a million people shows it can shorten life expectancy by almost a decade. Being slightly overweight too can pour perils – it may take as much as three years off your life, researchers warn. Picture: Get original file (9KB) Full Article: Obesity, a known risk factor for cardiovascular complications, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other health conditions, may be linked to high mortality - but it was yet to be tracked. In the largest-ever investigation addressing obesity, researchers at the Oxford University, England, examined the findings of 57 studies involving about 900,000 adults who were followed for a span of 20 years, including 70,000 deaths. Using the BMI (body mass index - individual's body weight divided by the square of his height) scale, the researchers developed the relationship between obesity and early death risk. While moderate obesity (BMI 30-39 kg/m2) snapped life expectancy rate by three years, severe or morbidly obese people (above 40 kg/m2) were estimated to die a decade before healthy weight people. As per the standard weight chart, this is what a BMI count means: Less than 18 - severely underweight Between 19 and 26 – normal healthy weight Between 27 and 29 – overweight Between 30 and 39 - moderate obesity Above 40 - morbidly obese Mortality was lowest in people who weighed normal (BMI between 19 and 26), results revealed. But the risk of early death rose with every 5-point increase in the BMI. While overall mortality rate soared by 30 percent, the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases increased by 40 percent. The chances of developing diabetes, liver disease, or kidney disease soared by 60-120 percent, cancer 10 percent, and lung disease 20 percent. “Obesity is an epidemic, and I think this study is critical because it highlights another potential negative health effect that people haven’t considered,” researchers said. Substantiating the findings of the study, Michael Thun, researcher at the American Cancer Society, stated, “It is a valuable study that provides a much clearer picture of the risk associated with various levels of being overweight or obese.” Exposing alarming situation, an estimated 66 percent American adults are either overweight or obese, with a subset of people progressively becoming more obese. Researchers reinforced the importance of shedding extra pounds to avoid obesity. Once fat is lost, one should get into maintenance mode and avoid ‘re-piling on the pounds’. The study features in the online edition of the journal Lancet.