Family Life

09.21.10 | FL News Team

(Washington, DC)  --  Your health isn't the only thing that suffers when you're obese.  A new study shows obesity is also bad for your bank account.  Researchers from George Washington University added up the extra costs that come with being severely overweight, such as higher medical bills, sick days, short-term disability, insurance prices, lost productivity and even the need for more gasoline.

They found that obesity costs men an average of more than $2,600 extra each year.  The figure was more than double for women, who have to shell out more than $4,800 extra annually if they are obese.  Researchers blame the disparity between the sexes on data showing that obese women earn less than skinnier women.  There is no such wage gap between obese and skinny men.  

The added costs of obesity were much greater than the extra costs associated with simply being overweight.  Researchers found that just being overweight costs men an extra $432 annually and costs women an extra $524 a year.