Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 Overweight people may live longer Obesity puts people at risk of many diseases, warn experts Being moderately overweight could actually be good for you, say researchers. People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. But experts pointed out that the study only looked at how long people lived and not at obesity-related diseases. The American Centres for Disease Control research appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Overweight The US team looked at data from three US surveys about health and nutrition carried out in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Weight was assessed using a measurement called Body Mass Index - calculated by divide a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. There is positively, absolutely, undeniably no doubt that being obese is not good for you Dr William Cochran, a nutritionist for Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System in the US A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered normal. One below 18.5 is considered underweight and 30 or above is considered obese. The researchers found that the people who had BMIs higher than 25 but lower than 30, which meant they were moderately overweight but not obese, did not have a reduced life expectancy. The people who lived the longest of all were those with BMIs of 25, which lies between the ideal and overweight margins. In comparison, there were 112,000 extra deaths among the obese category and nearly 34,000 extra deaths among the underweight category. Caution When the researchers compared the trends over the three decades studied, they found the death risk linked with obesity had decreased over time. They said this might be down to people being healthier and getting medical treatment for obesity-related conditions such as heart disease. US researchers recently estimated that, based on the current obesity levels, life spans could fall by between four months and nine months. If the rise in obesity - 50% a decade in both the 1980s and 1990s in the US - was not stopped, the team said it could fall by two to five years within decades. Dr William Cochran, a nutritionist for Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System in the US, said the new research could cause confusion about whether being overweight is unhealthy. " I think like most things, it's a mixed bag and the truth is not always black and white. " But there is positively, absolutely, undeniably no doubt that being obese is not good for you. " In the UK it is estimated that one in five men and a quarter of women are obese. Dr David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said: " These findings should certainly set us thinking. " Even though we are getting fatter, in a society that is putting more emphasis on a healthier lifestyle, the impact may be lessened. " In this study the risk of death from heart disease does not appear to be as high as a generation ago, however, the risk of developing diabetes has not decreased. " This shows that while medical management of diseases associated with obesity have improved the need for concerted public health campaigns and best practice in treatment of obesity must be paramount. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 At the risk of being a little picky... > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. Surely this means that the definition of " overweight " is wrong!!!! BB Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 I hadn't thought of it that way - but yes, it would appear to mean that. BB Jo , metalscarab@c... wrote: > At the risk of being a little picky... > > > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. > > Surely this means that the definition of " overweight " is wrong!!!! > > BB > Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 This was a very poorly put together study. It did not take into consideration, when determining weight, how much of the weight was muscle mass. So, someone who works really hard all day and is large boned would be considered overweight even though the % of fat, the bad overweight characteristic, would be low. Lynda - heartwerk <heartwork Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:44 PM BBC Website > > > Overweight people may live longer > > Obesity puts people at risk of many diseases, warn experts > Being moderately overweight could actually be good for you, say > researchers. > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. > > But experts pointed out that the study only looked at how long people > lived and not at obesity-related diseases. > > The American Centres for Disease Control research appears in the > Journal of the American Medical Association. > > Overweight > > The US team looked at data from three US surveys about health and > nutrition carried out in the 70s, 80s and 90s. > > Weight was assessed using a measurement called Body Mass Index - > calculated by divide a person's weight in kilograms by the square of > their height in metres. > > There is positively, absolutely, undeniably no doubt that being > obese is not good for you > > Dr William Cochran, a nutritionist for Pennsylvania's Geisinger > Health System in the US > > A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered normal. One below 18.5 is > considered underweight and 30 or above is considered obese. > > The researchers found that the people who had BMIs higher than 25 but > lower than 30, which meant they were moderately overweight but not > obese, did not have a reduced life expectancy. > > The people who lived the longest of all were those with BMIs of 25, > which lies between the ideal and overweight margins. > > In comparison, there were 112,000 extra deaths among the obese > category and nearly 34,000 extra deaths among the underweight > category. > > Caution > > When the researchers compared the trends over the three decades > studied, they found the death risk linked with obesity had decreased > over time. > > They said this might be down to people being healthier and getting > medical treatment for obesity-related conditions such as heart > disease. > > US researchers recently estimated that, based on the current obesity > levels, life spans could fall by between four months and nine months. > > If the rise in obesity - 50% a decade in both the 1980s and 1990s in > the US - was not stopped, the team said it could fall by two to five > years within decades. > > Dr William Cochran, a nutritionist for Pennsylvania's Geisinger > Health System in the US, said the new research could cause confusion > about whether being overweight is unhealthy. > > " I think like most things, it's a mixed bag and the truth is not > always black and white. > > " But there is positively, absolutely, undeniably no doubt that being > obese is not good for you. " > > In the UK it is estimated that one in five men and a quarter of women > are obese. > > Dr David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said: " These > findings should certainly set us thinking. > > " Even though we are getting fatter, in a society that is putting more > emphasis on a healthier lifestyle, the impact may be lessened. > > " In this study the risk of death from heart disease does not appear > to be as high as a generation ago, however, the risk of developing > diabetes has not decreased. > > " This shows that while medical management of diseases associated with > obesity have improved the need for concerted public health campaigns > and best practice in treatment of obesity must be paramount. " > > > To send an email to - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 Yup, the scale for " overweight " is arbitrary and doesn't take into consideration muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat and thus two people with the same height and frame can have the actual overweight person weighing less than the healthy, no fat person. Lynda - <metalscarab Friday, April 22, 2005 4:39 AM Re: BBC Website > > At the risk of being a little picky... > > > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. > > Surely this means that the definition of " overweight " is wrong!!!! > > BB > Peter > > > > > > To send an email to - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Very true! also bones can be big or small. There is another way to measure body fat, do you know how that one works? Jo - " Lynda " <lurine Friday, April 22, 2005 5:40 PM Re: BBC Website > > > Yup, the scale for " overweight " is arbitrary and doesn't take into > consideration muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat and thus two people > with the same height and frame can have the actual overweight person > weighing less than the healthy, no fat person. > > Lynda > - > <metalscarab > > Friday, April 22, 2005 4:39 AM > Re: BBC Website > > > > > > At the risk of being a little picky... > > > > > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > > > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. > > > > Surely this means that the definition of " overweight " is wrong!!!! > > > > BB > > Peter > > > > > > > > > > > > To send an email to - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 they now have scales you can buy that have little computer chips and they will tell you both your weight and your muscle mass. The only way I know of really measuring is to go do one of those float things. There was a site on the net that told you how to do some measurements and so forth but it has disappeared into the black hole of cyber-space. Lynda - Jo Cwazy <heartwork Sunday, April 24, 2005 1:08 PM Re: BBC Website > > Very true! also bones can be big or small. There is another way to measure > body fat, do you know how that one works? > > Jo > > - > " Lynda " <lurine > > Friday, April 22, 2005 5:40 PM > Re: BBC Website > > > > > > > > Yup, the scale for " overweight " is arbitrary and doesn't take into > > consideration muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat and thus two > people > > with the same height and frame can have the actual overweight person > > weighing less than the healthy, no fat person. > > > > Lynda > > - > > <metalscarab > > > > Friday, April 22, 2005 4:39 AM > > Re: BBC Website > > > > > > > > > > At the risk of being a little picky... > > > > > > > People who are a little overweight are likely to live longer than > > > > people who are underweight or obese, a study shows. > > > > > > Surely this means that the definition of " overweight " is wrong!!!! > > > > > > BB > > > Peter > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To send an email to - > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.