Obesity - premature killer of non-smoking women

June 29th, 2011 - 4:43 pm ICT by IANS  

London, June 29 (IANS) While smoking is known to be linked to premature death, obesity has emerged as a premature killer of women who have never smoked, especially in low income groups.

Researchers led by Laurence Gruer from National Health Service (NHS) Scotland reviewed the cases of 3,613 women who had never smoked.

These women participated in a study of over 15,000 adults who were recruited in Scotland between 1972 and 1976 when aged 45-64 and have been followed up until death, the British Medical Journal reports.

Gruer and colleagues grouped the participants by occupational class (1 and 2, 3 non manual, 3 manual, and 4 & 5) and by weight (normal weight, overweight, moderately obese and severely obese), according to an NHS statement.

During the follow-up period of 28 years, half the women died, including 916 (51 percent) from diseases of the heart and circulation and 487 (27 percent) from cancer.

The results show that women in the lower occupational groups were more likely to die of diseases of the heart and circulation, but not cancer.

They were also more likely to be severely obese and those who were severely obese had the highest death rates.

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