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Risk of death increases in obese smokers

07/Oct/2006: A new study, which is an ongoing collaboration of the National Cancer Institute, the University of Minnesota and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, led by D. Michal Freedman, Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, has found that the risk of death increases substantially in obese smokers.

More than 80,000 former and current radiologic technologists, between the ages 22 to 92, were surveyed by researchers, for this study. The participants were asked to fill out questionnaires, which collected information on birth date, height, weight and smoking behavior. These questionnaires were administered in the period 1983 to 1989. All the participants were then followed through till December 2002 and the number of deaths among them was recorded.

The study found that smoking in general, increases the risk of death and the death risk in smokers, who are also obese, is 3.5 to 5 times higher than that of normal weight people, who never smoke. Dr. Freedman, who led this study, said that smoking is a strong risk factor for many forms of cancer, especially the lung cancer, which happens to be the most lethal of all forms.

Susan J. Curry, Ph.D., director of the Health Research and Policy Centers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said that the findings of the study showed that tobacco and food industries have contributed in promoting unhealthy behaviors among the population, which is devoid of sufficient information and education on healthy behaviors.

The findings of the study appears in the Novembers issue of the ‘American Journal of Preventive Medicine’

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