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A 20-year old white male who is severely obese could be reducing his life expectancy by 13 years, according to an article in the January 8 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
According to background information in the article, public health officials and organizations have disseminated health messages regarding the dangers of obesity, but these messages have not produced the desired effect.
Kevin R. Fontaine, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues, including UAB’s David Allision, PhD, conducted a study to estimate the expected number of years of life lost (YLL) due to overweight and obesity across the life span of an adult. A person who is 5'4" and weighs 262 lbs. would have a BMI of 45; a person who is 6'00" and weighs 332 lbs. would have a BMI of 45. To have a BMI of 25, a 5'4" person would need to weigh 145 lbs.; a 6'00" person would need to weigh 184 lbs. To have a BMI of 30, a 5'4" person would need to weigh 174 lbs.; a 6'00" person would need to weigh 221 lbs. The researchers write that "our findings suggest that obesity has a marked effect on the life span of whites, and that the risk of increased YLL was greatest at younger ages." The authors found that "the maximum YLL for white men aged 20 to 30 years with a severe level of obesity (BMI >45) is 13 and is 8 for white women. For men, this could represent a 22 percent reduction in expected remaining life span. Among black men and black women older than 60 years, overweight and moderate obesity were generally not associated with an increased YLL and only severe obesity resulted in YLL. However, blacks at younger ages with severe levels of obesity had a maximum YLL of 20 for men and 5 for women." The optimal BMI (associated with the least YLL or greatest longevity) was found to be approximately 23 to 25 for whites and 23 to 30 for blacks. "Our results confirm that obesity is a major public health problem that appears to lessen life expectancy markedly, especially among individuals in younger age groups. Among blacks, the pattern of findings suggests that overweight and obesity may not decrease life expectancy until a BMI of approximately 32 to 33 for men and 37 to 38 for women is reached. At these BMI levels, longevity begins to decrease, especially among individuals in the younger age categories. Our estimates of YLL due to obesity strongly support the public health recommendation for adults to avoid obesity," the authors conclude.
The researchers write that "our findings suggest that obesity has a marked effect on the life span of whites, and that the risk of increased YLL was greatest at younger ages."
The authors found that "the maximum YLL for white men aged 20 to 30 years with a severe level of obesity (BMI >45) is 13 and is 8 for white women. For men, this could represent a 22 percent reduction in expected remaining life span. Among black men and black women older than 60 years, overweight and moderate obesity were generally not associated with an increased YLL and only severe obesity resulted in YLL. However, blacks at younger ages with severe levels of obesity had a maximum YLL of 20 for men and 5 for women."
The optimal BMI (associated with the least YLL or greatest longevity) was found to be approximately 23 to 25 for whites and 23 to 30 for blacks.
"Our results confirm that obesity is a major public health problem that appears to lessen life expectancy markedly, especially among individuals in younger age groups. Among blacks, the pattern of findings suggests that overweight and obesity may not decrease life expectancy until a BMI of approximately 32 to 33 for men and 37 to 38 for women is reached. At these BMI levels, longevity begins to decrease, especially among individuals in the younger age categories. Our estimates of YLL due to obesity strongly support the public health recommendation for adults to avoid obesity," the authors conclude.
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