Losing 3kg can add years of life for overweight Australians

SHEDDING just 3kg for overweight Australians could be enough to add years to their life, while slashing the spiralling impact of Australia’s obesity epidemic.

Losing just 3kg could add years to an overweight person’s life.

SHEDDING just 3kg for overweight Australians could be enough to add years to their lives while slashing the spiralling effect of the obesity epidemic across the nation.

A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that even relatively small changes in weight can have a huge effect on the nation’s burden of disease.

With almost two-thirds of adults and a quarter of children overweight or obese, weight now accounts for 7 per cent of Australia’s entire health burden — the measure used to account for years of life lost due to premature death or lived in ill health.

Only smoking now places a greater burden on the nation’s health but, with obesity rising and smoking rates dropping, the gap is closing.

AIHW spokeswoman Dr Lynelle Moon said the latest data showed that if overweight Australians cut their weight by one BMI point, or 3kg, the impact on Australia of excess weight would be slashed by 14 per cent in just three years.

“And, even if we stopped the rising rates of overweight and obesity in Australia by maintaining our weight, about 6 per cent of this burden would be avoided,” she said.