Putting on 2lb could cut your life by 2 months
EVERY two pounds of weight you put on could cut your life expectancy by two months, according to a study.
As metabolisms slow down, most of us gain around a pound a year as we get older, so a decade of middle-age spread could take almost a year off your life.
The study led by Edinburgh University emphasises the risk to healthy people as well as those who are overweight.
It calculated life expectancies based on genetic analysis of more than 600,000 people and the lifespans of their parents.
One positive finding was that those who continue their education after school live longer.
Co-author Professor Naveed Sattar, from Glasgow University, said: ‘The message is that losing an achievable amount of weight could bring you extra years of life, which is a good incentive.
‘We know weight gain cuts people’s lives short by increasing their blood pressure, blood fats and diabetes risk, which raises their risk of heart attack and stroke. This study shows we could learn something from the Japanese, one of the thinnest nations in the world [which] has the longest-living people.’
Most studies on early deaths in overweight people are flawed. Weight alone might not be to blame as those who eat badly are often unhealthy in other ways, for example exercising less or drinking more alcohol. The latest research aims to be more precise by looking at genes linked to weight gain, of which there are hundreds.
Researchers say that while it may appear we overeat from greed or lack of willpower, in fact for some their genes play an important role. For example the genes could disrupt signalling between the gut and brain, so people do not realise they are full, and may also affect self- control when it comes to diet. Previous studies show genes can predict how much weight people will gain.
To determine how this cuts lives short, the researchers looked at the parents who shared half the genes of the study’s subjects and the age at which they died. The results show a weight gain of just over 2lb takes almost nine weeks from your life.
Lead author Dr Peter Joshi, Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘Our study shows genes are more important than people might think in changing their lifestyle, and as a result, their lifespan.’
Researchers also looked at 64 genes affecting traits such as intelligence, conscientiousness and reading ability.
Based on the lifespan of the study subjects’ parents, scientists found those who stay on in education after school add 11 months to their life expectancy for every year of extra learning.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found smoking a pack of cigarettes a day knocks seven years off life expectancy.
Data for the research was taken from 25 population studies, including the UK Biobank.
‘Raises the risk of heart attack’