Actuarial data from insurance companies has shown that an obese person is 2-3 times more likely to die prematurely than their lean counterparts.
Obesity reduces life expectancy because it increases the risk of other health disorders.
It is a major contributing factor in many of the potentially fatal diseases of the developed world, including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Old research suggested that losing weight did not necessarily reduce the health risks. Although ultimately obesity may lead to premature death, it is also the cause of much ill-health and long term suffering. Overweight and obese people are likely to suffer from a large number of physical and psychological problems as shown below. In the past, the contribution of obesity to ill-health has been underestimated because factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol were thought to be more important.