Individuals who are obese have a significantly increased risk of death from all causes, compared with healthy weight individuals who have a BMI (Body Mass Index) between 18.5 to 24.9. The increased risk varies by cause of death, and most of this increased risk is due to cardiovascular causes.
Obesity is associated with over 112,000 excess deaths due to cardiovascular disease, over 15,000 excess deaths due to cancer, and over 35,000 excess deaths due to non-cancer, non-cardiovascular disease causes per year in the U.S. population, relative to healthy weight individuals.
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