Obesity Kills One in Five People in the US, Researchers Find

Recent investigations indicate that 18% of the deaths reported in the US are linked to either obesity or being overweight.

Otherwise put, nearly one in five Americans between the ages of 40 and 85 is killed by the size of their waistline.

Researchers explain that people who pack significantly more weight than what is considered normal are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and several other life-threatening conditions.

Since about a third (36%, to be more precise) of the people living in the US presently qualify as obese, it's no wonder obesity-related mortality rates are worryingly high.

“Obesity has much worse health consequences than people realize,” study lead author Ryan Masters explains, as cited by USA Today.

According to this researcher and his colleagues, obesity-related death rates between 1986 and 2006 were as follows: 27% for black women, 22% for white women, 5% for black men and 16% for white men.