Obesity Undermining Longevity Benefits in Other Areas
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that:
- The number of obese adults in the United States has more than doubled in the past 25 years.
- The number of obese adults in the U.S. now totals 34 percent of the population or 72 million people.
- Obesity related medical costs totaled $147 billion in 2008.
- Obesity accounts for 5 - 15 percent of deaths in the U.S.
Meanwhile, smoking is related to 18 percent of deaths.
As a result, researchers are starting to see the adverse effects of the obesity epidemic overshadow the longevity-related benefits of the decline in tobacco use over the past 20 years.
Source: Bloomberg
