Greater Weight Shorter Life - Weight And Health: Obesity
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Greater weight, shorter life?
Because excess weight plays a role in so many common and deadly diseases, overweight and obesity can cut years off your life. A study of more than one million adults showed that the lowest death rates were among men with a BMI of 23.5 to 24.9 and women with a BMI of 22 to 23.4. Severe obesity can lower life expectancy by an estimated 5 to 20 years, according to a 2005 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In addition, several studies have hinted that low-calorie diets can slow the aging process. In one such study, published in 2006 in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers compared heart function in people who ate restricted-calorie diets (between 1,400 and 2,000 calories per day) with people who ate typical Western diets (between 2,000 and 3,000 calories daily). They found that the hearts of the people who ate low-calorie diets were more elastic and resembled those of younger individuals.
Sleep apnea: Serious complications that start with snoringIf you snore loudly and temporarily stop breathing many times during the night, waking suddenly with a snort or choke, you probably have sleep apnea, another common disorder that's more prevalent with overweight and obesity. Your bedmate will probably notice these symptoms, while you may not. People with sleep apnea don't realize they've been awakened because they don't become fully conscious, but these awakenings can disrupt sleep. Not only does sleep apnea often lead to daytime sleepiness, it also increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. |
| Last updated: | June 20, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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