Obesity: Hidden killer of Scotland’s women Sensation Line Fitness

Obesity: Hidden killer of Scotland’s women

June 29th, 2011 Tyson Flood Leave a comment Go to comments

OBESITY is a killer of Scottish women that has been overlooked for decades because of an emphasis on the dangers of smoking, doctors have warned.

The true scale of the epidemic, which has seen obesity-related early deaths rise by more than 40% since 2004, has been laid bare in a study that reveals the risk of excessive weight to women who have never smoked.

Women are much more likely to be overweight or obese than non-smokers, particularly if they are poor, and this puts them at a higher risk of dying of heart disease, according to the research published in the British Medical Journal today.

The public health officials who carried out the study in Scotland warned high smoking rates dating back 35 years had masked the dangers of being overweight for non-smokers as public health initiatives focused on cutting down the numbers who lit up rather than the risks of weight gain.

In 2009, there were 196 deaths where obesity was recorded either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributory factor compared with 139 deaths five years earlier.

Inequalities in mortality have persisted in those who have never smoked, partly because obesity takes over the role of smoking

The decline in smoking rates may also have led to an increase in obesity, according to a 28-year study of 3600 women in the west of Scotland who have never smoked, and this has in turn exacerbated the problem.

Dr Laurence Gruer, Director of Public Health Science at NHS Scotland, said that although smoking had traditionally been seen as the number one killer in Scotland, obesity rates had contributed hugely to the nation’s poor health record for much longer than previously thought.

Dr Gruer said: “These results have important implications. They show overweightness and obesity were already common among women who had never smoked in this population more than 35 years ago, its true extent concealed by the high smoking rates in the population as a whole.

“Inequalities in mortality persist among those who have never smoked, partly because obesity takes over the role of smoking.

“Although lifelong smoking is clearly responsible for much higher mortality rates, obesity, and especially severe obesity, is an important contributor to premature mortality. The healthcare consequences of increased morbidity from diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and other complications are also considerable.”

Scotland has some of the highest rates of obesity in the world, with the latest figures showing nearly 27% of men and women are obese while 68% of men and 61% of women are overweight, increasing their risk of developing diabetes or dementia, or suffering a heart attack or stroke.

Dr Gruer’s research analysed findings from non-smoking women between 45 and 64 who were recruited between 1972 and 1976 for a wider study that lasted 28 years.

It found that women from the most disadvantaged groups were more likely to be obese, with around 45% of those in the lowest occupational group classed as dangerously overweight. In comparison, only 13% of those from the highest social group were obese. The difference was only apparent for non-smokers – between 10% and 15% of those who smoked were described as overweight, regardless of their social status.

In the 28 years after the initial study, a quarter of the female non-smokers died from diseases of the heart and circulatory systems associated with obesity, while cancer also accounted for 487 deaths. Death rates were highest among those who were severely obese.

Dr Gruer added: “This study shows obesity as a problem has been around for far longer than was thought. It’s also true that since the 1970s obesity rates have increased a lot.

“Smoking has a bigger adverse affect on health than obesity unless you are at the very end of the spectrum.

“What the study shows is if you do not smoke and you manage to keep your weight down you can expect to have a better chance of a long, healthy life.”

Professor Johan Mackenbach from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam welcomed the study but added: “It is important not to forget that smoking is a much stronger risk factor for mortality than most other risk factors, including obesity.”

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