Extreme Obesity Shortens Life Expectancy up to 14 Years

People who are extremely obese—with BMIs between 40 and 59 kg/m²—die 6.5 to 13.7 years earlier than healthy-weight individuals, according to researchers. The expected years of life lost continued to increase for BMIs beyond 50 kg/m², at which point the loss in life expectancy exceeded that for current smokers vs. those who never smoked. Extreme obesity was linked with increased risks for nearly every major cause of death, suggesting that excess weight can have a wide range of physiological effects. The PLOS Medicine analysis was based on data from 20 large studies from the United States, Sweden, and Australia.