A study released today by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that, "If past obesity trends continue unchecked, the negative effects on the health of the U.S. population will increasingly outweigh the positive effects gained from declining smoking rates. Failure to address continued increases in obesity could result in an erosion of the pattern of steady gains in health observed since early in the 20th century."The study looked at previous health trends culled from national health surveys to forecast life expectancy and quality of life for a typical 18-year-old from 2005 through 2020.
Past declines in smoking over the last 15 years would give that 18-year-old an increased life expectancy of 0.31 years. However, growing body mass index [BMI] rates would also mean that the teenager would have a reduced life expectancy of 1.02 years, giving a net life expectancy reduction of 0.71 years.
Researchers from Harvard University, the University of Michigan and the National Bureau of Economic Research point out that, though life expectancy will increase in the future due to factors such as overall health care improvements, better nutrition and education, rising obesity rates may eventually slow that progression.
Tools You Can Use
* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] now offers free online tools for adults, teens and kids to calculate their BMI: http://bit.ly/BodyMassIndex.
* Maintaining a healthy weight may reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with overweight; e.g., coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis. For more information, visit CDC's Healthy Weight website: http://bit.ly/CDCHealthyWeight.
* For a limited time, you'll also find CDC's Body Mass Index [BMI] Calculator for Adults posted on ProsperNOW. It's located on the right, near the top -- just under our Blog Archive. Check your BMI today!
SOURCES: CDC [photo], New England Journal of Medicine
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