Study: Obesity takes eight years off your life

MONTREAL, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- With smoking rates continuing to fall in much of the developed world, obesity has become problem number one for public health advocates. But to raise awareness about a problem, it's important to have specifics about the consequences.

People want to know: how does this effect me? Now, there's a very specific answer. Researchers have attached a number to obesity: the number of years the condition is likely to shave off a person's life -- eight.

Investigators at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC) detailed their findings in a new study published this week in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

"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," lead study author Dr. Steven Grover, a professor at McGill, explained in a press release.

Using data from the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, scientists developed a predictive model for obesity and the diseases it often precipitates, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

They found very obese people were likely to lose up to eight years of their life as a result of obesity-related health complications, while obese individuals risked losing up to six. Overweight individuals were most likely to lose three years.

"These clinically meaningful models are useful for patients, and their healthcare professionals," Grover added, "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."