August 26, 2013

231 Obesity is Deadly [26 August 2013]

Medical researchers have known for a long time that obesity reduces life expectancy. Previous estimates believed it accounted for 5% of American adult deaths. But a study published last week in the American Journal of Public Health found that obesity is much more deadly than was previously thought.

The study linked data from the National Health Interview Survey with mortality information in the National Death Index from 1986 to 2006 to analyze obesity and mortality among 332,093 men and 385,475 women aged 40 to 85, divided by race into “white” and “black”.

Being overweight or obese accounted for 18.2% of deaths overall. It was highest for women: 26.8% for black women and 21.7% for white women, and lower for men: 5.0% for black men and 15.6% for white men. Although black men and white men had similar rates of obesity, smoking and socioeconomic factors skewed the results.

Not surprisingly the data showed the problem is worse for the younger generations. Obesity-related mortality was higher for those born in the 1960s than those born in the 1930s or 1920s. And the trend will continue to rise as overweight people now in their teens, 20s and 30s grow older.

One of the authors, Ryan Masters, wrote:
Obesity has dramatically worse health consequences than some recent reports have led us to believe. We expect that obesity will be responsible for an increasing share of deaths in the United States and perhaps even lead to declines in U.S. life expectancy.
Being overweight or obese has a much greater effect on you than how it makes you look or feel, or even than the wear and tear on your joints; it can shorten your life. Fortunately there is an easy, safe and effective way to lose that unwanted weight and provide the opportunity to enjoy a longer, healthier life.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

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