The Life Lost to Excess Fat

The Life Extension Foundation News quantifies the life - and health - lost to even a modest amount of excess fat: "Simply put, overweight people die younger. On average, they lose as many years to their excess weight as smokers lose to their cigarettes. It stands to reason, doesn't it? With all the health problems that we know are caused or worsened by excess weight, it is to be expected that those who carry an excess would die sooner than those who don't. ... Dutch researchers studying Americans found that there's a lot to lose for those who don't lose their extra pounds. ... Among those subjects who were overweight but not actually obese, the study showed that 40-year-old female nonsmokers lost 3.3 years of life due to their excess weight. In this weight class, the 40- year-old male nonsmokers lost 3.1 years of life expectancy." This is in addition to the life lost because you are not practicing calorie restriction, and the costs of suffering age-related disease - it all adds up, and could be avoided.

Link: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=3917&Section=NUTRITION