“Smoking and obesity are the two biggest risks for death in America,†Peto said.
But in America, says Peto, the number of smokers is declining while the number of those who are overweight is increasing.
Peto hasn’t been able to figure out exactly why obese men are at greater risk of dying than women, although other researchers have theorized that overweight men have greater insulin resistance, liver fat levels and diabetes risk than women.
