Being overweight may shorten the lifespan of the middle aged by as many years as does smoking, according to research released by Dutch scientists in the Annals of Internal MedicineThese results suggest that people who are overweight at age 40 slice three years off their life expectancy, while those who are obese-defined as having an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass-lose an average of seven years. And the worst news awaits stout smokers: When compared with their slimmer, non-smoking counterparts, obese smokers lose, on average, 13 years from their life expectancy. Sadly, these findings, though intriguing, may do little to address the issue.
"Do I think this will inspire people to lose weight?" asks Salvatore Didato, Ph.D., a private practitioner in Scarsdale, New York. "No. People don't take such a long-term view of their lives; it's too psychologically remote."
If a person is given a piece of chocolate and then is told that it may shorten his life, he would still eat the chocolate. Didato explains that the short-term benefits and pleasures that accompany eating overshadow longer-term negative consequences. Warnings about the long-term dangers of smoking are similarly problematic.
