PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- People who are overweight at 40 are likely to die at least three years sooner than those who are slim, meaning that in terms of life expectancy, being fat during middle age is just as bad as smoking, researchers say.
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Jan. 7, 2003
By Howard LeWine, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
How does this article relate to me?
On the football field, the penalty for piling on is 15 yards. The penalty for piling on extra weight is much worse than most of us predicted. Using a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or less as "normal," just being overweight, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, at age 40 may cost you three years of life. If you are obese, with a BMI greater than 30, the number can double to six years of lost life.
Despite these scary statistics, this study shows an association of increased weight — a proxy for body fat — with dying younger. But, it does not prove that the extra weight is the actual cause of earlier deaths. It is also important to keep in mind that the researchers chose cutoff points (for example, a BMI of 30 or more defines obesity in this study) to analyze their data. This does not mean that you are much worse off if your BMI is 30.1 than if it is 29.9. What it does mean is that the more you weigh, the greater your risk of dying earlier than you should. Although not part of this report, equally important to the years of lost life are the many years of disability due to arthritis and poor conditioning.
What changes do I need to make?
For me, the most significant finding in this study is that once you reach a BMI of greater than 25 by age 30 to 49, then you are at risk of dying early even if you lose the weight after you reach age 50. That doesn't mean that overweight people over age 49 should not bother; that is like saying it is too late to quit smoking. But it emphasizes the problem of rising obesity in the young. Instead of seeing an increase in life expectancy, as we are accustomed to, there is a real chance that life expectancy will start to decline.
It is time to adopt the principles of the new Healthy Eating Pyramid. Increased physical activity and dedicated exercise, preferably one hour per day, should be the standard in all families. Eat as many vegetables as you want. Add fruit next. Use this as your base, and then add other foods as outlined in the pyramid to get protein and the right kinds of fats (oils).
What can I expect in the future?
The next phase of this study will be to look at which consequences of eating too much and not getting enough exercise cause the decrease in years of life. Is it the obesity itself, diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), or something else? No matter what the actual cause, the prevention message will be the same — avoid becoming overweight starting early in life.
Related Areas:
Nutrition
Weight Management
