researchers say that when is its effect on longevity is similar to smoking
Being obese can shorten life, says a new study.
"The generally moderate obesity reduces life in about three years," said researcher Gary Whitlock, Service Unit Clinical Trials at the University of Oxford in the UK. "By moderate I mean obesity weigh about one third more than the ideal, which for most people would be overweight by 50 or 60 lb (about 23 or 27 kg)."
Whitlock said more than a third of middle-aged Americans fall into this category. "In comparison, despite twice the ideal weight for example, have about 150 lb (68 kg) more, reduce life in about ten years, "he added.
This level of obesity is still not common, but it equals the known reduction of ten years of life caused by smoking. "So smoking is about as dangerous as having severe obesity and about three times more dangerous than having moderate obesity," he said.
The report appears in the online edition of the March 18 Lancet .
For the study, Whitlock and other members of the Prospective Studies Collaboration 894.576 collected data on men and women who participated in 57 studies. The study participants were mainly Western Europe and North America. Your body mass index (BMI) was 25.
BMI is a calculation that expresses a relationship between height and weight. People are considered underweight if their BMI is below 18.5, normal weight when the BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, overweight if the BMI is between 25 and 29.9, and obese if they have a BMI of 30 or more according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute U.S.. UU.
The researchers found that men and women whose BMI was between 22.5 and 25 lived the longest. For a person who is 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 m) tall, the optimum weight would be about 154 lb (70 kg), they said.
Among those with a BMI over 25, each increase of 10 to 12 lb (4.5 to 5.5 kg) resulted in increased death of about 30 percent. In addition, there was a 40 percent increase in the risk of heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, an increase of between 60 and 120 percent in the risk of diabetes, liver or kidneys, an increase of 10 percent in the risk of cancer, and a 20 percent increase in risk of lung disease, researchers reported.
"Obesity causes kidney disease, liver disease and several cancers, but the most common form that is lethal to cause stroke, and More importantly, heart disease. Obesity causes heart disease by increasing blood pressure, interfere with blood cholesterol levels and cause diabetes, "said Whitlock.
moderately obese people with a BMI of 30 to 35, reduced his life in two to four years. Among those who were severely obese, with BMIs of 40 to 45, life is reduced by eight to ten years. This is something comparable to the effects of smoking, said Whitlock.
In fact, people whose weight was below normal also died earlier, mostly due to smoking-related diseases, the researchers said.
"If you are obese and smoke, above all, stop smoking," Whitlock advised. "If you are obese and do not smoke, do not start, and do what I can to not gain more. By preventing weight gain, could live a few years longer than otherwise. By quitting, a smoker can expect to live several years more, about the same as a severely obese person could win by losing half their weight. " Dr. David L.
Katz, director of the Center for Prevention Research at the Faculty of Medicine, Yale University, said this study confirms that the obesity epidemic is "imminent danger that many knew it was."
The association between BMI and mortality has been questioned by the scientific community, partly due to the uncertainty of the weight calculations and discussion on methods of measurement. "Here is an emphatic reaffirmation of the fundamental issue: the overweight and obesity will take years to life," said Katz.
"We know that in many ways the BMI is a crude measure of the health risks associated with obesity, because not all the extra body fat is equal," he said. "The weight is increased around the middle tends to be the most dangerous, so that those who have this pattern may have higher risks than those suggested by this study. Among those who gain weight in the lower body , the risks may be lower. "
A study published in the November 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine also found that the place that focuses on weight is a risk factor. Men with large waistlines were more than twice the risk of death, and women with larger waists were a increased risk of death by 78 percent.
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For more information on obesity, visit the National Library of Medicine U.S.. UU.
By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter News / Dr. Tango
(SOURCES: Gary Whitlock, Ph.D., Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford, UK; David L. Katz, MD, MPH, director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., March 18, 2009, The Lancet, online)
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