- Researchers studied causes of death in the US in 2014, the latest figures
- They found obesity causes 47 percent more early deaths than tobacco
- Smoking deaths have plummeted in 15 years thanks to tobacco control efforts
- The team insists the figures show a need for a similar push with obesity
Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com
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Obesity causes more early deaths than smoking, a new study reveals.
A team of researchers from Cleveland Clinic and New York University School of Medicine analyzed causes of death in the US using the latest figures from 2014.
They found that obesity resulted in as much as 47 percent more life-years lost than tobacco, which had the same outcomes as high blood pressure.
High cholesterol and diabetes were the other two conditions most likely to cause an early death – but nowhere near the rate of obesity.
Comparing the data to public health efforts, the team said tobacco would have topped the list if it weren’t for the global push to limit cigarette use.
Now, they insist, a similar drive is needed to cut obesity rates.
A team from Cleveland Clinic and New York University School of Medicine analyzed causes of death in the US. They found obesity caused 47 percent more early deaths than tobacco
It is the most elusive and difficult-to-control condition in the list, since three of the top five causes of death (diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol) can be treated.
‘Modifiable behavioral risk factors pose a substantial mortality burden in the U.S.,’ said Dr Glen Taksler, internal medicine researcher from Cleveland Clinic and lead author of the study.
‘These preliminary results continue to highlight the importance of weight loss, diabetes management and healthy eating in the U.S. population.’
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The results also highlight the importance of preventive care in clinical practice and why it should be a priority for physicians.
To estimate the number of life-years lost to each modifiable risk factor, researchers examined the change in mortality for a series of hypothetical U.S. populations that each eliminated a single risk factor.
They compared the results with the change in life-years lost for an ‘optimal’ population that eliminated all modifiable risk factors.
Recognizing that some less common factors might place substantial burden on small population subgroups, they also estimated life expectancy gained in individuals with each modifiable risk factor.
‘The reality is, while we may know the proximate cause of a patient’s death, for example, breast cancer or heart attack, we don’t always know the contributing factor(s), such as tobacco use, obesity, alcohol and family history,’ Dr Taksler said.
‘For each major cause of death, we identified a root cause to understand whether there was a way a person could have lived longer.’
Dr Taksler and colleagues are continuing to conduct research in this area, and analyze and refine results.
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