Smoking and obesity carry the same health risks

Dr. Gary Whitlock, an epidemiologist from Oxford University and member of the Clinical Trial Service Unit, led a study to examine the effects of obesity on life expectancy. Data was collected on nearly one million people from around the world. The researchers found that even those people who are moderately obese can expect their lives to be shortened by three years. And severe obesity - defined by a body mass index of 40 to 50 or 100-plus extra pounds over average healthy weight - can reduce life expectancy by approximately 10 years. The majority of the obesity-related risk is contributed to increased heart disease, stroke and to a less extent, cancer. "Obesity causes heart disease and stroke by pushing up blood pressure, mucking up blood cholesterol and triggering diabetes," study co-author Gary Whitlock explains.

As a result of the findings, which were published in The Lancet, the researchers suggest that being severely obese carries as much risk as a lifetime of smoking. Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation, which supported the work, says: "This is the latest and most convincing demonstration of the close relationship between being overweight and poor heart health, and confirms that smoking is harmful regardless of your weight," he says.

The researchers and their colleagues analyzed the findings of 57 studies involving about 900,000 adults who had been followed for up to 15 years. The majority were Americans or residents of Western Europe. "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," says Michael Thun, Emeritus Vice President of Epidemiological Research at the American Cancer Society. And he adds, "Once you gain weight, it's hard to lose it and easy to gain more."

News Release: Obesity danger rivals smoking   www.news.bbc.co.uk March 17, 2009

News Release: Obesity can trim 10 years off life   www.usatoday.com