Obesity Cuts Lifespan by Up to 20 Years
 (NY, Reuters Health, 1/7/03)

Two studies highlight the looming health crisis in the US, where two-thirds of adults are overweight.  While previous reports have linked obesity to chronic medical conditions that can be fatal, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes; these new studies quantify the life-shortening risk.  The researchers have found that young, obese white men live 13 fewer years than expected and very obese white women lose 8 years.  The news is even worse for young, obese black men whose life span's are shortened by 20 years.  At the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Dr. David B. Allison and colleagues have concluded that, "Obesity has a profound effect on lifespan."  Dr. Anna Peeters from Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands also supports this conclusion, based on her study of more than 3,000 adults.
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