Obesity now equals smoking in causing disease and shortening the life span, according to an article published in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers from Columbia University and the City College of New York calculate that the Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) that are lost because of obesity is equal to, and possibly greater than, the years lost due to smoking.
The proportion of smokers among U.S. Adults has declined 18.5% between the years of 1993 and 2008. During that same time period the proportion of people who are obese has increased 85%. According the the study information, smoking caused more deaths while obesity caused more illness.
The population of the United States has become increasingly obese while the percentage of smokers has declined. The shift in lifestyle habits across the country means the obesity has become an equal contributor the the burden of disease and the shortening of healthy life when compared to smoking.
Obesity and smoking are both risk factors that can be modified by behavior and lifestyle changes. The behaviors that cause obesity and smoking are behaviors that can be modified with dedication and resolve to adopt healthy habits.
Smoking is a major cause of heart disease, cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, aneurysms, and strokes. According to The American Cancer Society, tobacco use is responsible for nearly 20% of the deaths in the United States. Smoking is related to cancers of the lung, larynx, mouth, tongue, lips, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, cervix, kidney bladder and acute myeloid leukemia.
Health risks of obesity include strokes, type 2 diabetes, cancer, fatty liver disease, vein disease, gallbladder disease, breathing problems, deep vein thrombosis, arthritis and risky pregnancy. The heath risks related to obesity can cause a poor quality of life and even lead to death.
People who want to quit smoking or lose weight may want to consult a physician for support and a program to help eliminate the behaviors that can hurt the quality of life and even cause diseases that can lead to death. Treatments may include behavior modification, support groups, nutritional support and exercise.
If you want to make major lifestyle changes, it is advisable to consult a doctor who can monitor your progress and suggest a treatment plan. Information in this article is not intended as medical advice.
Resources:
* The article is "Trends in Quality-Adjusted Life-Years Lost Contributed by Smoking and Obesity" by Haomiao Jia, PhD, and Erica I. Lubetkin, MD, MPH. The article appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 38, Issue 2 (February 2010) published by Elsevier
* EurekAlert
Written by Christine Nyholm
Huliq.com
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