Can obesity lead to premature death?
- Yes. Individuals who have a BMI of more than 30 have a 50% to 100% increased risk of premature death from all causes compared with individuals with a BMI 20 to 25.
- This increased mortality is directly proportional to increasing BMI. Obesity causes 400,000 preventable deaths in the United States and is a close second to smoking as the leading cause of preventable death.