Being severely obese can cut a person’s life short by up to eight years and cause decades of ill health, according to a study carried out by researchers from McGill University in Canada.

The findings, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, showed that being obese at a young age is more damaging to health and life expectancy.

The data highlights an opportunity for the health and fitness industry to offer its expertise in providing comprehensive preventative health services – particularly for youngsters – in the form of lifestyle interventions and facilitating GP exercise referrals.

The case for the physical activity sector to become a central pillar of public health delivery is gaining a groundswell of support. Speaking at the recent 2014 ukactive Summit, Labour MP Andy Burnham pledged that physical activity would be available on prescription from every GP surgery if Labour wins the 2015 General Election. Meanwhile, NHS patients in Devon have been told they must undergo weight management courses before they are eligible to receive routine surgical procedures. The regional health service is battling to tame an annual budget deficit of £14.5m, which is being exacerbated by the obesity and inactivity epidemic.

In the McGill University study, a computer model was used to calculate the impact of weight on life expectancy throughout life, which uncovered a clear gender difference in terms of vulnerability.

In comparison to 20-39 year-olds of a healthy weight, severely obese men of the same age lost 8.4 years of life and women lost 6.1 years. Men also spent 18.8 more years living in poor health, while the respective figure for women is 19.1.

For people in their forties and fifties, men lost 3.7 years of life and women lost 5.3 years to obesity. Men and women in their sixties and seventies lost just one year of life to obesity, but still faced seven years of ill health.

“The pattern is clear,” said Steven Grover, professor of medicine at McGill. “The more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health - as they have many years ahead of them during which the increased health risks associated with obesity can negatively impact their lives.

“Our computer modelling study shows that obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes,” added Grover.