(RxWiki News) Obesity brings many health problems, and now researchers are finding that it is a major cause of early death in women.
The obesity epidemic is now a global problem, with millions affected by the sometimes lethal health consequences of carrying around too much weight. A recent study suggests that obesity can be especially deadly for low-income women.
"Low-income women are dying from the consequences of obesity."
A 28-year study in Scotland included 3,600 non-smoking women who were between the ages of 45 and 64. The researchers found that participants who were severely obese had the highest death rates.
More than half of the participants – 51 percent - died from cardiovascular disease and 27 percent died of cancer.
Researchers also discovered that low-income women were more likely to be obese, compared to women who were financially stable.
Furthermore, women who had low-income jobs were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than women who had higher paying jobs.
The study found that non-smoking women were more likely to become overweight or obese than those who do smoke. While this may be true, Johan Mackenbach, professor at Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, says that smoking is a stronger risk factor for death than obesity.
The research is published in the British Medical Journal.
