Obesity as Risky as Heavy Smoking | Bradenton | Sarasota | Florida West Coast

Researchers in Stockholm have shown that being overweight or obese may be as hazardous to your health as smoking cigarettes.

In order to compare the mortality rates of people who smoked and people who had a higher than normal BMI, Swedish researchers conducted a retrospective study of 45,920 Swedish men who had been followed for 38 years, beginning in 1969. Martin Neovius, Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institute and colleagues found that the risk of death associated with being overweight was comparable to the risk of death associated with light smoking. In addition, obese people had a similar risk of premature death as heavy smokers.

The study showed that smoking and having excess weight increased the men’s risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, which could eventually lead to premature death. Researchers also found that being obese or overweight in late adolescence increased mortality risk, regardless of whether or not the subject was a smoker. In addition, while the combination of heavy smoking and obesity was associated with a large increase in risk of death, it was not significantly higher than either factor alone.

The researchers concluded that “overweight, obesity, and smoking among adolescents might be good targets for intensified public health initiatives.”