Middle-age obesity shaves five years off life, study suggests

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Having a little junk in your trunk might shorten your life span by five years.

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A study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago suggests that being obese in middle age could cost a person up to five years of life.

According to the Daily Mail, researchers studied about 30,000 people for close to half a century and found that those who had a healthy weight died at an average age of 82.3 years.

However, those who were classified as obese — having a body mass index of over 40 — lived to an average age of 77.7 years, 4.6 years less than those of healthier weight. Even those surveyed who were considered moderately obese trimmed about two years off their life cycle.

There were barely any life expectancy differences noted for those considered overweight — having BMI between 25 and 29.

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The survey did not state causes of death of those who participated, but added obese people are likely to suffer more from comorbidities — having more than one illness at once.

Being overweight causes inflammation and fatty deposits in the arteries, which put stress on vital organs, the Daily Mail reported.

For the study, Northwestern University researchers split participants into groups based on their BMI in order to analyze death rates. They found that those who were severely obese lived to be 77.7, while the moderately obese lived to 80.8.

Overweight people had an average life span of 82.1 years.

The study findings were published in the medical journal, JAMA Network Open.