OBESITY IN 20S LINKED

TO REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY

Research has shown that men and women who are obese in their 20s will lose up to eight and six years respectively in their lives.

“We know that excess weight has an impact on your health, but to have excess weight as a young adult is really significant on life expectancy. We are talking about losing up to 10 years of your life,” said lead researcher Thomas Lung from The George Institute for Global Health in Australia. People with obesity are at risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke, all which can decrease lifespan.

“The study predicts adult obesity prevalence will increase to 35 per cent by 2025. We need to act now and have an obesity prevention strategy targeting adults at all ages and in particular young adults,” Lung noted. For the study, the team used a model which calculated the expected amount of weight that adults put on every year depending on their age, gender and current weight.

Importantly, the risks of early death associated with excess weight were apparent at every age group but decreased with age.