Obesity may shorten life by 14 years

A new study looking at data from 20 large studies from 3 countries has found that people who are morbidly obese have a dramatic reduction in their life expectancy compared with people of normal weight. Specifically, patients who suffer from class 3 obesity, which typically means they are 100 lbs or more over their ideal body weight. In the United states, class 3 obesity is on the rise and is roughly 6% of the population. Researchers found that the risk of dying from most major health issues rose steadily as body mass index (BMI) increased. Deaths were mostly due to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. For patients with a BMI of 40-45, years of life lost was 6.5. If rose fo 13.7 years for patients with a BMI of 55-60. This was equal or higher to the number of years lost in smokers. “Given our findings, it appears that class 3 obesity is increasing and may soon emerge as a major cause of early death in this and other countries worldwide,” said senior author Patricia Hartge, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI. Dr. Trace Curry