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Obesity Cuts Lifespan
by Up to 20 Years
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is a well-known
risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases
that can cause premature death. Now, two national studies reveal
that obesity can, on average, cut more than a decade from a person's
life. For black men it can shorten life by up to 20 years. The
findings support the notion that excess body weight is more than a
cosmetic problem, and may spur individuals, doctors and public
health officials to redouble efforts to keep weight in check.
 
"Excess weight has not received the same attention
from clinicians and policymakers as have other threats to health
such as tobacco use, hypertension, or (high cholesterol)," Drs.
JoAnn E. Manson and Shari S. Bassuk from Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, write in an accompanying
editorial. "It is not surprising that obesity rates continue to
climb."
According to both studies, obesity is particularly dangerous for
younger adults, or those in their 20s and 30s. Severely obese white
men aged 20 to 30 years live about 13 fewer years than they would be
expected to based on estimates from national data. Severely obese
white women, or those with a body mass index (BMI) over 45, can
expect to live eight fewer years, report researchers in the January
8th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Obesity also had a profound effect on the lifespan of younger
blacks. Obese black men aged 20 to 30 lose about 20 years and obese
black women lose about 5 years of life, even after accounting for
smoking.
BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height and is believed to
be a more reliable gauge of disease risk than weight alone. A person
with a BMI of 30 is considered obese, while a person with a BMI
between 25 to 29 is considered overweight. To have a BMI of 45, a
person who is 5-feet, 4-inches tall would weigh 262 pounds.
In the study, white adults with a BMI of 23 to 25 and black adults
with a BMI of 23 to 30 lived the longest.
"Obesity has a profound effect on life span," Dr. David B. Allison
from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and colleagues
conclude.
The findings are supported by a second report on more than 3,000
people aged 30 to 49. According to this study, obese, non-smoking
women lived seven fewer years and obese, non-smoking men lived about
six fewer years than their normal-weight peers did.
Among smokers, obesity reduced life expectancy by about seven years.
And obese female smokers lived 13 fewer years and obese male smokers
nearly 14 fewer years than non-smoking adults of healthy weight,
according to the study.
Together, these reports quantify the health risks associated with
obesity, especially for young and middle-aged adults. Considering
that about two thirds of the US adult population is overweight or
obese, the findings portend an ongoing health crisis, warn
researchers.
"The results point to a troubling trend, as rates of overweight and
obesity continue on an upward slope in the US," write Dr. Anna
Peeters from Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and
colleagues. "The smoking epidemic in the western world is waning;
however, a new fear should be the increasing prevalence of
overweight and obesity in young adults, which heralds another
potentially preventable public health disaster."
Their study is published in the January 7th issue of the Annals of
Internal Medicine.
The authors of both reports call for more research, particularly
into the apparent differences in the relationship between obesity
and life span between whites and blacks.
Nonetheless, the findings "confirm that obesity is a major public
health problem that appears to lessen life expectancy markedly,
especially among individuals in younger age groups," Allison and
colleagues conclude.
In many cases, obesity and its associated diseases such as type 2
diabetes and high blood pressure may be preventable. The US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people trying to
maintain good health schedule 30 minutes of moderate physical
activity each day, and 60 minutes each day for weight loss.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association
2003;289:187-193, 229-230; Annals of Internal Medicine
2003;138;24-32.
For more health and medical news, visit http://www.reutershealth.com.
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