Life expectancy ‘cut by nine weeks for every 2lb overweight’

PEOPLE cut their life expectancy by an average of nine weeks for every two pounds they are overweight, researchers have found.

A study examining the genetic information of more than 600,000 participants has revealed intricate links between longevity and lifestyle.

The results also showed that people who smoke a packet of cigarettes a day are likely to die seven years earlier than normal.

The Edinburgh University scientists who conducted the research say it illustrates the power of big data to render in precise detail the probable consequences of individual lifestyle choices.

According to the findings, someone who is two stone overweight is likely to die six months prematurely.

While for a 6ft man or woman, weighing 13st 3lb is likely to cost them two months.

Published in Nature Communications, the study compared the genetic information with the lifespan of the donors’ parents.

Because people share half their genetic information with each parent, the information allowed researchers to calculate the impact of various genes on life expectancy.

Data was drawn from 25 separate population studies of Europe, Australia and North America, including the UK Biobank study – which looked into the role genetics and lifestyle played in health and disease.

Professor Jim Wilson, of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “The power of big data and genetics allow us to compare the effect of different behaviours and diseases in terms of months and years of life lost or gained, and to distinguish between mere association and causal effect.”