Obesity affects more than just your appearance and can actually shorten your life by around 10 years, depending on your BMI (body mass index). We hear a lot about how smoking cigarettes and vaping are a serious health risk, but many people are still unaware of the serious and even deadly side effects of obesity.
Currently in the United States alone, over 43% of adults are categorized as obese, as well as over 20% of American children. Today we are going to talk about how obesity and life expectancy are related and provide you with some idea of how many years this deadly condition can rob someone's life if left untreated.
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What Is Obesity?
People often mix up the terms “overweight” and “obese,” but they are not exactly the same. Being overweight means someone weighs more than what is considered healthy for their height, build, and gender. It usually means their body fat percentage is higher than normal, but not always at a level that causes major health problems.
Obesity is when a person has a serious amount of extra body fat that starts to harm their health, like putting pressure on their organs, straining their joints, affecting their muscles, and interfering in how their vital body systems work. It is divided into different categories according to how much excess body fat they possess.
Obesity Types
Obesity is categorized using a BMI scale that is universally recognized around the world.
Class III obesity is the most severe level and can lead to serious health risks. Individuals in this category are often at least 100 pounds over their ideal weight or have serious health problems like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
It is important to understand that the BMI classifications are helpful but not perfect because they do not account for gender, ethnic background, or how the fat is distributed. A relatively thin person may be at risk for serious health conditions if their excess fat is concentrated around their midsection, even though the BMI scale does not indicate this using the standard calculation. A football player’s fat distribution may put them in the obese category when using the standard calculations of height and weight, but because the BMI scale does not account for their extra muscle mass, they would be incorrectly categorized.
Working with the team at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center, who are experts in obesity management, can help you determine if your weight is impacting your health, and they can create a safe and effective plan to help you get it under control.
How Obesity Affects Life Expectancy
Obesity and life expectancy are definitely related, and many studies have reported statistics that are both staggering and sad because it is preventable. In fact, early mortality caused by obesity and its associated side effects is the second most preventable cause of death. The higher your BMI reaches, the more serious your risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer becomes.
Here is what a study that was conducted in Finland showed about the number of years of life lost due to obesity.
- Individuals with BMIs of 30–35 (moderate obesity) have about a 2 to 4 year shorter life expectancy than individuals with a healthy weight.
- Individuals with morbid or class 3 obesity (BMI ≥ 40) can lose up to 14 years, sometimes even 20 years, of their life, which is particularly true for men.
Life Expectancy With Fatty Liver Disease
Many people ask what life expectancy with fatty liver disease looks like, and if the disease is caught early, it most often will not shorten your life, but once the fat causes inflammation or scarring (NASH or fibrosis), it can reduce your life expectancy by 2 to 5 years. The good news is that losing just 5 to 10 percent of your weight, eating healthy, and staying active can stop or even reverse the disease in its early stage.
Average Life Expectancy Obese Male vs. Female
Several studies have been conducted that looked at middle-aged adults who did not smoke to determine if an individual’s gender made a difference when looking at obesity life expectancy.
- One major study looked at 40-year-old adults and found that the average life expectancy for an obese male was about 5.8 years shorter when compared to men who had a healthy body mass index, and the average life expectancy for an obese female was about 7 years shorter.
- Another study focused on younger adults, ages 20 to 39, and found that very obese men lost around 5.9 years, and very obese women lost about 6.1 years of their life, compared to individuals within a healthy weight range.
- A meta-analysis that compared life expectancy starting at age 18 showed that obese men could expect to live about 54.3 years from that age, while men of a healthy-weight men lived closer to 57 years. Obese women lived around 60.7 more years, compared to 63.5 years for women at a healthy weight.
Overall, most of the research agrees that obese men lose around 5 to 6 years of their life, and obese women lose about 6 to 7.5 years of their life if they fall into the category of obese. These numbers can vary depending on things like smoking, health conditions, race, and lifestyle, but the pattern is consistent and demonstrates that obesity cuts life expectancy by several years.
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The Higher Your BMI, The Shorter Your Life Expectancy
Many people do not know this, but the higher your BMI number, the more at risk you are of dying earlier. Class 3 obesity life expectancy is the shortest of all because class 3 obesity (BMI 40+) carries the greatest risks for many different serious medical conditions. Class 3 obesity was historically referred to as morbid obesity, as life expectancy was significantly shorter for those in this category.
A pooled analysis from 20 large studies reported the class 3 obesity life expectancy statistics, the following chart shows the results:
Class 3 obesity can steal anywhere between 6.5 to 14 years from your life, and some more recent studies even report the number can be closer to 20 years. These statistics are real, and the risks are very serious. In fact, they are a close second to the risks associated with smoking.
The Dangers of Early Obesity
As stated earlier, around 20% of American children are already classified as obese, and many will go on to be obese in their adult years. Being overweight or obese early in life increases the likelihood of losing years of your life.
- Young adults between the ages of 20 and 39 with a BMI above 35 lose about 8.4 years if they are male and about 6.1 years if they are female.
- One study found that Caucasian men with a BMI over 45 could lose 13 years, and Black men up to 20 years.
- A recent report at the 2025 European Congress on Obesity shows being obese before age 30 raises the risk of early death anywhere between 79 and 84 percent.
Can Your Chances of Early Death Due to Obesity Be Reversed?
Yes, and it is never too late to start making changes that will promote sustainable weight loss. Even as little as a loss of between 5 and 10 percent of your total body weight can bring your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels into better balance. Some of the things you can do to start the reversal process include:
Making Lifestyle Changes
Eating healthier, getting more exercise, getting an adequate amount of sleep, and managing your levels of stress.
Therapy
Counseling or therapy can help to change habits that are counterproductive and help you cope with mental or emotional challenges that are holding back your weight loss efforts.
Working With An Expert Weight Loss Doctor
A doctor who is trained in obesity medicine understands how complex the disease is and the seriousness of the side effects it can cause. An expert weight loss doctor like Steven Batash can help you get your health back on track with safe and effective weight loss tools, the highest level of support, and he and his team at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center will provide the knowledge and guidance you need to help you lose weight, and improve your health, and your life expectancy.
How Can I Get In Touch With An Expert Weight Loss Doctor?
Finding yourself in a position where obesity is compromising your health and your life expectancy can be frustrating and scary, and can even seem like an impossible situation. The team at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center can create and help navigate a weight loss program that is developed just for you and your circumstances.
Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center offers many different options for getting your weight under control. Weight loss medications, endoscopic procedures, and nutritional and lifestyle guidance can work alone or be combined to work together to help you achieve sustainable weight loss.
Obesity is a serious condition that can lead to many medical conditions that cost you many years spent in poor health and shorten your life expectancy, but the good news is that losing your excess weight can help you regain many years of health and life. Set up your consultation today to learn more about how working with Dr. Steven Batash can help you get your health under control.
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