Do Obese People Live Shorter Lives On Average?

From a young age, most of us are told that it's important to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight that is in proportion to our height. Carrying excess weight on our bodies can come with several health problems in the long run. You are considered obese if your BMI (body mass index) is 30 or above. You can calculate your own BMI by dividing your weight (kg) by your height (m) and then by your height again, or simply use on online tool to help you. 

Do obese people die earlier? 

According to statistics, obese people are at a much higher risk of dying sooner than those who are a healthy weight. Of course, this does not mean that maintaining a healthy weight will prevent all health issues during your lifetime, but being obese can definitely contribute to a person's life ending prematurely. Men with a BMI between 30 and 35 are 66% more likely to die before their 70th birthday when compared to men with a BMI below 30. 

What causes earlier death? 

Obesity itself does not cause early death, but rather the risks that come with being obese. There are many health issues which are much more likely to occur in people carrying extra weight, and in turn, this creates a statistic whereby people in the higher BMI categories die sooner than those in the healthy range of the body mass index. 

• Heart problems

Heart disease is common in older people who are obese, since internal fat gets in the way of the heart operating properly. Fatty substances have been allowed to build up inside and around the arteries, which leads to them becoming clogged up and causing chest pains, heart attacks and possibly death. 

• High blood pressure

While high blood pressure is a very common thing which we seem to hear about often, it can cause severe health problems if is in not under control. High blood pressure can lead to strokes, which can cause a person to die immediately or within weeks of the stroke occurring. High blood pressure can also damage and burst blood vessels, causes bleeds and leaks within the body. 

• Breathing problems

Obesity can create sleep apnea and other breathing issues such as asthma, which can become more severe if left untreated or as a person gets older. 

As you can see, obesity itself may not be the cause of premature death, but the health risks which are prevalent in those with a BMI over 30 can make a long life difficult to achieve. 

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10 Possible Causes of the Obesity Epidemic

It's well accepted that reduced physical activity and fast food are linked to obesity. But the evidence that these are the main causes of obesity is largely circumstantial. To stimulate debate, experts suggest 10 other possible causes of obesity, outlined in the International Journal of Obesity.

   1. Sleep debt. Getting too little sleep can increase body weight. Today, many get less shut-eye than ever.

   2. Pollution. Hormones control body weight. And many of today's pollutants affect our hormones. 

   3. Air conditioning. You have to burn calories if your environment is too hot or too cold for comfort. But more people than ever live and work in temperature-controlled homes and offices. 

   4. Decreased smoking. Smoking reduces weight. People smoke much less than they used to. 

   5. Medicine. Many different drugs including contraceptives, steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, some antidepressants, and blood pressure drugs can cause weight gain. Use of these drugs is on the upswing. 

   6. Population age, ethnicity. Middle-aged people and Hispanic-Americans tend to be more obese than young European-Americans. Americans are getting older and more Hispanic. 

   7. Older moms. There's some evidence that the older a woman is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of obesity. Women are giving birth at older and older ages. 

   8. Ancestors' environment. Some influences may go back two generations. Environmental changes that made a grandparent obese may "through a fetally driven positive feedback loop" visit obesity on the grandchildren. 

   9. Obesity is linked to fertility. There's some evidence obese people are more fertile than lean ones. If obesity has a genetic component, the percentage of obese people in the population should increase. 

  10. Unions of obese spouses. Obese women tend to marry obese men, and if obesity has a genetic component, there will be still more obese people in the next generation.

These other contributing factors deserve more attention and study. Even more explanations include: a fat-inducing virus; increases in childhood depression; less consumption of dairy products; and hormones used in agriculture. What do you think can be attributed to the epidemic?

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