Time lived with obesity linked with mortality
New research shows the number of years individuals live with obesity is directly associated with the risk of mortality, with individuals who live with obesity for more than 15 years tripling their risk.
The research, undertaken by experts from Monash University and the University of Copenhagen, shows that the duration of obesity is a strong predictor of mortality - independent of the actual level of Body Mass Index (BMI).
Using data which followed 5,209 individuals over 48 years, the research showed that for those who had a medium number of years lived with obesity (between five years and 14.9 years), the risk of mortality more than doubled compared to those who had never been obese.
The risk of mortality almost tripled for those with the longest duration of obesity - more than 15 years.
The research also showed for every additional two years lived with obesity, the risk of mortality increased between six and seven per cent.
"Before now we did not know whether being obese for longer was any worse for your health than simply being obese," Dr Anna Peeters from Monash University said.
"This research shows for the first time that being obese for longer increases your risk of mortality.
Dr Peeters said the resesarch provides added support for current health policies aimed at preventing obesity.
"The research also indicates that we should try extra hard in preventing obesity at younger ages." Dr Peeters said.
The research, recently published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was undertaken by Asnawi Abdullah, Rory Wolfe, Johannes Stoelwinder, Christopher Stevenson, Helen Walls and Anna Peeters from Monash University and Maximilian de Courten from the University of Copenhagen.