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By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng, Ap Medical Writer Tue Mar 17,
8:05 pm ET
LONDON Being obese can take years off your life and in some cases may be as
dangerous as smoking, a new study says. British researchers at the University
of Oxford analyzed 57 studies mostly in Europe and North America, following
nearly one million people for an average of 10 to 15 years. During that time,
about 100,000 of those people died.
The studies used Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement that divides a person's
weight in kilograms by their height squared in meters to determine obesity.
Researchers found that death rates were lowest in people who had a BMI of 23 to
24, on the high side of the normal range.
Health officials generally define overweight people as those with a BMI from 25
to 29, and obese people as those with a BMI above 30.
The study was published online Wednesday in the medical journal, Lancet. It was
paid for by Britain's Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation,
Cancer Research UK and others.
"If you are heading towards obesity, it may be a good idea to lose weight,"
said Sir Richard Peto, the study's main statistician and a professor at Oxford
University.
Peto and colleagues found that people who were moderately fat, with a BMI from
30 to 35, lost about three years of life. People who were morbidly fat those
with a BMI above 40 lost about 10 years off their expected lifespan, similar
to the effect of lifelong smoking.
Moderately obese people were 50 percent more likely to die prematurely than
normal-weight people, said Gary Whitlock, the Oxford University epidemiologist
who led the study.
He said that obese people were also two thirds more likely to die of a heart
attack or stroke, and up to four times more likely to die of diabetes, kidney
or liver problems. They were one sixth more likely to die of cancer.
"This really emphasizes the importance of weight gain," said Dr. Arne Astrup, a
professor of nutrition at the University of Copenhagen who was not linked to
the Lancet study. "Even a small increase in your BMI is enough to increase your
risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer."
Previous studies have found that death rates increase both above and below a
normal BMI score, and that people who are moderately overweight live longer
than underweight or normal-weight people.
Other experts said that because the papers used in the study mostly started
between 1975 and 1985, their conclusions were not as relevant today.
Astrup worried that rising obesity rates may reverse the steep drops in heart
disease seen in the West.
"Obesity is the new dark horse for public health officials," he said. "People
need to be aware of the risks they're taking when they gain weight."