Obesity as Bad for Us as Smoking

on March 21, 2009 at 7:20 AM

weight Being obese might be as bad as smoking, says a new report from the University of Oxford.

After studying nearly 1 million people, researchers found people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23 or 24, the normal range, lived the longest.

Those with a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight. Obese people have BMIs of 30 or above. So here's how their research broke down:

BMI of 30 to 35 lost 3 years of life on average.
BMI of 40 or more lost 10 years of life.

Obese people are more likely to die of heart attack or stroke, and are up to four time more likely to die of diabetes, kidney or liver problems. They are slightly more likely to die of cancer.

Is this totally scary? I'll show this research to family members who need to exercise more and eat better--and it wouldn't hurt if they stopped smoking, too.

Do you think being overweight is as unhealthy as smoking?

Filed Under: body image, eating healthy, exercise, in the news, obesity, weight loss

Comments (15)

shortcakemama2

on Mar 21, 2009 at 8:37 AM

mmmm....???

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Shalaseia

on Mar 21, 2009 at 9:48 AM

I am going to write a blog on this because I feel that people think it is ok to have a little meat on their bones not thinking they look like a dinosaur and that inlcudes me because I did not realize I had gotten as big as I did. Some would look at me and say you are not big, that I am the size of what the average american woman is, I am a size 13/14 but I am tall so it is spread out but I am considered overweight close to obese on the bmi chart and that is a problem. I cannot accept the way I look because I know it is not healthy and compared to when I was 125lbs I am huge. So yeah I have a lot to say about it, my weight gain was a combiantion of working at a job where I sat on my butt for almost 10hrs a day and then becoming sick that left me unable to do a lot of moving like I was used to but I refuse to stay this way....Like I said I have a blog I am going to write about why this needs to stop, this acceptance of the oebse weight as though you are not hurting......

mancosmomma

on Mar 21, 2009 at 9:57 AM

Try convincing people of that. I read a post yesterday where a woman said she smoked during pregnancy, and her kids are healthy, and she didn't beleive all that stuff about smoking being bad for you. I've seen women get mad when the Dr. tells them their kids are overweight, they think he is exagerating the risk.

sarah6183

on Mar 21, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Well, i think smoking is far more dangerous. I mean, if you are overweight, its only damaging to YOUR health. If you smoke, not only does it hurt you, but everyone else around you. Weight gain has no second hand dangers. People who smoke say 'well i don't do it around my kids, so its okay.' No, its not. The smell stays on you. Its on your clothes, your hair, your breath. The kids breath that in, they're still breathing in chemicals. So while I agree that obesity is bad, smoking is FAR worse. Not to mention when you gain weight, if you work hard at losing it, there are no long term effects. But when you smoke, you are damaging some parts of your body far beyond repair....

3gifts.from.god

on Mar 21, 2009 at 12:26 PM

This is true, but my fat cant give someone near me a heart attack like the second hand smoke of a smoker can give someone else cancer.

RanaAurora

on Mar 21, 2009 at 1:44 PM

Second-hand smoke isn't going to hurt anyone if you're not smoking around other people, and take the effort to wash your hands or take off your coat.

Also, studies show that if you quit smoking, the damage DOES start to repair itself.

pride4mom

on Mar 21, 2009 at 2:55 PM

I don't smoke but I am over weight....I hate it when my hubby who does smoke can't go into a restaurant with his over weight wife to eat becasue he smokes....How is it thta I beign over weight can eat all I want at a buffet restaurant with all the other over weight people but he gets rude stares if he steps out side beside his truck to take a smoke of his cigarette......Put a scale beside the register and weigh in IF you weigh this much then you pay double of the price you weigh to much already..........Angel...

Elismommy29

on Mar 21, 2009 at 3:41 PM

In my opinion, smoking is detrimental to the health of the person choosing to smoke as well as the people around that person. However, being overweight can be just as detrimental. I am dealing with being overweight and it is so difficult. My son is 8 months old and I want to be healthy so I can be here for him for a long time. I know that I need to make changes in my eating/exercising habits so that I can be there to run and play with him and just BE THERE...so I see how both smoking and being overweight are both very dangerous and can cause difficulty for ourselves and those around us.

Lindalu2

on Mar 21, 2009 at 5:34 PM

Have you noticed a very overweight Mom and Dad have very overweight children? Their life style, their eating habits contribute to poor health. So-you could say then that if the Mom and Dad eat too much,they will serve large meals,encourage over eating and probably eat at restaurants and fast food much more often than a family featuring normal weight or slim family members. So-it does influence the people around you, but not as bad as smoking,of course. Either way, being fat is unhealthy. Eating too much will encourage the whole family to eat too much.

on Mar 21, 2009 at 6:34 PM

One more thing my mom has COPD because other people in the house smoked, she has never smoked a day in her life.....Being overweight is something you can control if you truly want to, you really can. How can you control second hand smoke when others want to exercise their right to have a smoke.