Study Finds Obesity Trims Years Off Life Expectancy

A new study has found that moderate obesity, which is now
common, reduces life expectancy by about three years, and that
severe obesity can shorten a person’s life by 10 years. The
study, published online in the journal The Lancet,
followed nearly 900,000 men and women from around the world for an
average of 10 to 15 years. Recruited from North America and Western
Europe, most people were age 46 when the study started. About
100,000 died during the study period, making it the largest-ever
investigation of how obesity affects mortality. But the study also
showed continuing to smoke is as dangerous as doubling body weight,
and three times as dangerous as moderate obesity.