Obesity linked to premature death, with greatest effect in men

A study of 3.9 million adults published today in The Lancet has found that being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of premature death. The risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer are all increased. Overall, the excess risk of premature death (before age 70) among those who are overweight or obese is about three times as great in men as in women. On average, overweight people lose about one year of life expectancy, and moderately obese people lose about three years of life expectancy - Emanuele Di Angelantonio The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and that a further 600 million are obese. The prevalence of adult obesity is 20% in Europe and 31% in North America. 'On average, overweight people lose about one year of life expectancy, and moderately obese people lose about three years of life expectancy,' says Dr Emanuele Di Angelantonio from the University of Cambridge, the lead author. 'We also found that men who were obese were at much higher risk of premature death than obese women.