Obesity Can Shorten Life By 8 Years.
If you’re carrying extra pounds, you face a greater risk of weight related issues commonly known as Cardio vascular
diseases.
What are the health consequences of being overweight?
The latest WHO projections indicate that at least one in three of the world’s adult population is
overweight and almost one in 10 is obese. Adding onto that, there are more than 40 million children under age five who
are known to be overweight.
Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health. Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences
such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, muscular disorders like
osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon). These conditions cause premature death and substantial
disability.
What is not widely known is that the risk of health problems starts when someone is only very slightly overweight, and
that the likelihood of problems increases as someone becomes more and more overweight. People with overweight or obesity
concerns also have a direct relationship with BMI: the higher the BMI, the higher the likelihood of disease. Overweight
and Obese individuals have potential to decrease life expectancy up to 8 years.
What are the health risks of being overweight or obese?
With BMI >30 may affect your overall life expectancy: you are more likely to die at a younger age. An analysis in
2009 of almost one million people from around the world showed that if you have a BMI between 30 and 35, you are likely
to die 2-4 years earlier than average. With BMI between 40 to 45 you are likely to die 8-10 years earlier than average.
Another analysis showed that if you are a woman who is obese at the age of 40, you are likely to die 7.1 years earlier
than average. If you are a man who is obese at the age of 40, you are likely to die 5.8 years earlier than average. If
you smoke as well, your life expectancy is reduced even further.
Excess body weight contributes to reduce life expectancy and premature development of heart disease and
diabetes.
- Being overweight boosted the risk of heart disease by 32%
- Obesity increased the risk by 81%
Although the adverse effects of overweight on blood pressure and cholesterol levels could account for 45% of the
increased heart disease risk, even modest amounts of excess weight can increase the odds of heart disease independent of
those well-known risks Compared with people of normal weight, overweight people face a 22% higher risk of stroke. For
those who are obese, the increased risk rises to 64%,
About 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. The percentage is nevertheless increasing.
A high blood sugar level, the hallmark of diabetes, is one of the features of metabolic syndrome. If untreated, diabetes
can lead to a number of grave health problems, including kidney failure, blindness, and foot or leg amputations
After Cigarette Smoking, Obesity ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death
Among people ages 50 and older, overweight and obesity may account for 14% of all cancer deaths in men and 20% of all
cancer deaths in women.
Both men and women with higher BMIs are associated with a higher risk of suffering from cancer of the esophagus, colon
and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or kidney
Their findings estimated that individuals who were very obese could lose up to 8 years of life, obese individuals could
lose up to 6 years, and 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, defined
as 18.5-25 body mass index (BMI). The age at which the excess weight accumulated is an important factor and the worst
outcomes were in those who gained their weight at earlier ages.
“”The pattern is clear — the more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their
health, In terms of life-expectancy, we feel being overweight is as bad as cigarette smoking and that severe obesity,
which is still uncommon, can shorten a person’s life by 10 years. This 10 year loss is equal to the effects of lifelong
smoking
If you€™re carrying extra pounds, you face a higher-than-average risk of a whopping 50 different health problems!
While the above article guides you to eating healthier, there is no substitute for customized professional advice given
by a qualified nutritionist. We urge you to speak to your personal dietician or if you need help, contact a nutritionist
at Qua Nutrition.
You can contact us at 080 3232 9292 or log on to www.quanutrition.com to Book An Appointment.
