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Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Eight

OBESITY Words by Dr Jorrie Jordaan No longer considered a cosmetic issue caused by a lack of self-discipline, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised that obesity is a chronic progressive disease, associated with multiple health problems. Obesity adversely affects every system in the body. Research has shown that an increased BMI is associated with an increased rate of death from all causes. Obesity has become one of the leading causes of preventable death in Australia, second only to smoking tobacco. At any age, having obesity shortens your lifespan. Younger people (aged 25-35), who have severe obesity are 12 times more likely to die early than their peers without obesity. Adults who have obesity at 40 years of age die on average seven years sooner than adults whose BMI is within the healthy range. The impact of years of life lost is greater for men than for women. It has been estimated that the steady rise in life expectancy over the last 200 years may come to an end due to the increasing prevalence of obesity. 54 Pindara Magazine 2016


Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Eight
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