Overweight in middle age reduces life expectancy
Being overweight in midlife can reduce by 79% the possibility of a long and healthy life, according to a study by U.S. and British researchers published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Obesity is a “significant factor” in anticipating how a person will live, according to analysis done for women by experts from the School of Public Health from Harvard (USA) and University of Warwick (England).
In reaching this conclusion, researchers evaluated data collected by the 17,000 nurses in 11 U.S. states since 1976 and concluded that women with extra kilos in midlife were less life expectancy than those who controlled their weight.
In addition, experts also found that weight gain after 18 years and into middle age is a factor to predict how long a person will live with good health.
At the beginning of the study, nurses completed a questionnaire with data on the pace of life, weight, height and medical history of women, who were back under control for 24 months over a period of 20 years.
“Our data suggest that weight maintenance throughout adult life may be associated with optimal health at an older age,” the researchers said.