Moderate obesity shortens life by three years
18 March 2009
Moderate obesity can take three years off life expectancy, while severe obesity can shorten a person's life by as much as 10 years, research suggests.
Photograph: istockphoto/Marc Dietrich
An analysis of almost a million people brought together data from 57 long-term research studies mostly based in Europe or North America.
People were followed for an average of 10 to 15 years, during which 100,000 died, making it the largest ever investigation of how obesity affects mortality.
Among the 900,000 men and women in the study, mortality was lowest in those who had a BMI of 23 to 24.
Lead researcher Dr Gary Whitlock, from Oxford University, said: ‘If you are becoming overweight or obese, avoiding further weight gain could well add years to your life.’
sanjay.tanday@haymarket.com
Comment below and tell us what you think
Additional Information
Latest jobs Jobs web feed
- Salaried GP The Practice plc £75-85k FTE +NHS pension, Ely or Leicester
- Regional Clinical Leads The Practice plc Salary £95-105k FTE + NHS pension, Leicester or Sheffield
- Salaried/Lead GPs Malling Health Competitive, role dependant, NHS Pension and defence fees reimbursed, Nationwide
- Newly qualified GP's dr-locums £70 an hour plus, Nationwide
- Full Time Partner (9 sessions) Charnwood Community Medical Group Equal share partner, Loughborough, LEICS
- Locum GP Meddoc Locums £600-£800 A day, London & Essex
Most read
- Health secretary says GPs have 'ethical duty' to save NHS costs
- GPs face 'outcomes targets overload', patient group warns
- LMCs Conference 2012 - Live Blog
- QOF errors trigger £1,000 top ups and clawbacks
- Women to be screened later for cervical cancer in Scotland and Wales
- LMCs conference 2012 - Full coverage
Most commented
MIMS Drug Search
Possible searches include drugs (by brand, generic ingredient or drug class), diseases and more.
