New research suggests being obese could take a shocking eight years off of a persons' life.
These individuals could also develop diabetes or cardiovascular disease earlier in life, which can knock off up to two decades off their lifespan, McGill University reported.
"In collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia our team has developed a computer model to help doctors and their patients better understand how excess body weight contributes to reduced life expectancy and premature development of heart disease and diabetes," said lead author Dr. Steven Grover, a Clinical Epidemiologist at the RI-MUHC and a Professor of Medicine at McGill University.
To make their findings the researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to develop a model that estimated the annual risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults of various body weights. The study encompassed over 4,000 individuals, and was also used to estimate the effects of excess body weight on lifespan.
The researchers estimated individuals who were very obese could lose up to eight years of life, and those who were overweight could lose around three. These numbers were found to be highest in individuals who acquired the excess body fat at a younger age.
"The pattern is clear - the more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health," Grover said. "In terms of life-expectancy, we feel being overweight is as bad as cigarette smoking."
In the future the researchers plan to personalize this information in hopes of making it more relevant to individual patients.
"These clinically meaningful models are useful for patients, and their healthcare professionals, to better appreciate the issues and the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, which we know is difficult for many of us to adopt and maintain," Grover concluded.
The findings were published in the most recent edition of The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
