Obesity May Shorten Your Life Expectancy by Eight Years

It's the holiday season, which means heavy foods are the norm. But before you overindulge, you may want to take a look at a new study. Scientists have examined the relationship between body weight and life expectancy, and have found that overweight and obese individuals have the potential to decrease their life expectancy by up to eight years.

In order to examine the correlation between weight and life expectancy, the researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2010. They used this data to create a model that estimated the annual risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults with different body weights. Then, the researchers analyzed the contribution of excess body weight to years of life lost and healthy years of life lost.

So what did they find? It turns out that individuals who were very obese could lose up to eight years of life; obese individuals could lose up to six years; those who were overweight could lose up to three years. In addition, healthy life-years lost were two to four times higher for overweight and obese individuals compared to those who had a healthy weight. In addition, the age at which the excess weight accumulated was an important factor.

"The pattern is clear-the more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health," said Steven Grover, one of the researchers, in a news release. "In terms of life-expectancy, we feel being overweight is as bad as cigarette smoking."

Currently, the researchers hope to personalize this information to make it more compelling. For example, they want to see how life expectancy might increase if a patient loses 10 to 15 pounds. The scientists are now conducting a three-year study to see if engaging patients with this information could potentially spur them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

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