HHS HealthBeat (July 17, 2008)

Weight and death

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Researchers say women who weigh too much may die too soon. They found this in a look through about 10 years of data on more than 283,000 women.

Steven Moore of the National Institutes of Health:

"A woman who is overweight at age 40 and stays overweight is going to die about two years prematurely. Women who are obese and stay obese would die four to six years prematurely – or perhaps even more – as compared to women of normal weight." (12 seconds)

Studies of weight and the risk of death have not always found a higher risk among overweight women. But Moore says his study had additional strengths. Technicians measured the women’s weights, instead of relying on the women’s own reports. And the study followed the women longer.

The report is in the International Journal of Obesity.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: July, 17 2008