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Research

Weight change across adulthood in relation to all cause and cause specific mortality: prospective cohort study

BMJ 2019; 367 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l5584 (Published 16 October 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;367:l5584

Linked opinion

The timing of excess weight gain in our lifecycle matters

Rapid Response:

Weight change across adulthood in relation to all cause and cause specific mortality. Long time evidence accumulates

A new report on obesity from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) makes for grim reading; it details that even just being overweight will slash almost 3 years from life expectancy, on average, with this figure rising to 4 years in the United States (Medscape October 11, 2019), confirming my analysis from 2 decades ago:

Lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease Sanchez-Delgadoa, Heinz Liechtia Lancet, Volume 353, Issue 9156, Pages 924 - 925, 13 March 1999

We compared caloric intake with life expectancy in the 20 most developed countries and found that, an ingestion of 280 kcal less every day corresponds to 25 months longer lifespan and vice versa.

When we compared prospectively the pulse×mass index with the calculations of cardiovascular disease risk factors according to the Framingham Heart Study, the correlation was highly significant (r=0•94; p<0•05), especially in patients over 40 years

The evidence accumulates. Time to act.

Prof. Enrique Sanchez Delgado MD
Internal Medicine-Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Hospital Vivian Pellas, Managua

Competing interests: No competing interests

17 October 2019
Enrique J. Sanchez-Delgado
Internal Medicine-Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Hospital Vivian Pellas, Managua, Nicaragua
Hospital Vivian Pellas, Managua, Nicaragua