Normal, Overweight, and Obese Calculate BMI below

(Best Syndication News) Overweight and obese people may not live as long as their healthy weight counterparts. Being obese can shorten life similar to smoking, according to researchers at the Unit Oxford University Clinical Trial Service (calculate BMI below).

The unit looked at 57 different studies with 900,000 adults over a 10 to 15 year period. Just being overweight and not obese can shorten the lifespan by one year. Adding an addition five percent over the healthy weight increased the risk of early death by 30 percent.

Of the 900,000 participants there were 70,000 deaths. "Obesity causes heart disease and stroke by pushing up blood pressure, mucking up blood cholesterol and triggering diabetes," said co-author Gary Whitlock, an epidemiologist at Oxford.

Subjects who were extremely obese, or about 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight, cut 10 years off of their life expectancy. That health risk is similar to smoking your entire life. Just 40 pounds cut 3 years off.

There is an epidemic in the United States. Approximately 66 percent of all Americans are either obese or overweight. One third are obese, meaning their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or more.

People at the lower end of the healthy range fared best (use our celebrity BMI calculator below). According to the researchers, a BMI of 22.5 to 25 was optimal. They had the lowest risk of dying early.

BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. To convert pounds to kilograms, multiply by .4535. To convert inches to meters multiply by .0254.

A six foot tall man (72 inches) weighing 200 pounds would have a BMI of 27.12.

By Marsha Quinn

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