British researchers at the University of Oxford, through a new study, have warned once again about the negative effects of obesity on people’s health and even life. Previous studies have shown that obesity leads to high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer. The new study found that moderate obesity shortens life span by about three years.

 

“By moderate obesity, I mean weighing about a third more than is ideal, which for most people would mean being bout 50 or 60 pounds overweight,” researcher Gary Whitlock, from the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, said.

 

Whitlock and colleagues analyzed data on 894,576 men and women who participated in 57 studies in Western and North America. They had a body mass index of 25.

 

The analysis revealed that participants whose BMI was between 22.5 and 25 lived the longest. But for participants with a BMI over 25, every 10 to 12 pound increase translated to about a 30 percent increased risk of dying. Moreover, there was a 40 percent increase in the risk for heart disease, stroke and other vascular disease, a 60 percent to 120 percent increased risk of diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease, a 10 percent increased risk of cancer, and a 20 percent increased risk for lung disease.

 

People considered severely obese reduced their life span by eight to ten years, which is as life-shortening as smoking.

 

“What is particularly worrisome in the United States is that more than a third of people now qualify as obese, and a subset of people are becoming progressively more obese. Once you gain weight, it's hard to lose it and easy to gain more. So the goal to stop your weight gain now,” said Michael Thun, emeritus vice president of epidemiological research at the American Cancer Society.