You'll spend a LOT of money for doctors and prescriptions with such additional problems as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and more. Eighth International Congress on Obesity. Scientists are already beginning to wonder whether it will be worse than smoking. Obese women are six times more likely than thin women to have a silent inflammation inside their arteries that increases the risk of heart disease. And most of the gain are to people who are obese.
Obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers, heavy drinkers or the poor.
The report by the RAND institute in Santa Monica found that obese people have on average nearly twice the chronic health troubles of people of normal weight. The study found that more people are overweight or obese than are those collectively who smoke, drink heavily and live below the federal poverty line. LTC rates will have to rise appreciably to cover this contingency- which I still do not believe is being addressed in underwriting currently. Studies do not support overweight, as opposed to obesity, as conferring an excess mortality risk. Future guidelines should consider the evidence for specific age groups when establishing standards for healthy weight.