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Being Overweight Increases Mortality Large Study Shows

Being Overweight Increases Mortality Large Study Shows

Being overweight  is associated with a higher risk of dying prematurely, and the risk increases with increasing body weight according to a large international collaborative study. The findings contradict recent reports that have suggested a survival advantage to being overweight that has been called the  ‘obesity paradox.’

A limitation presented by other studies is the inclusion in population studies of people with pre-existing medical conditions or smokers. Smokers tend to weigh less, but they have an increased mortality rate due to the harmful effects of smoking. Researcher Frank Hu of the Harvard Chan School explains with regard to the current study, “To obtain an unbiased relationship between BMI  (Body mass Index) and mortality, it is essential to analyze individuals who never smoked and had no existing chronic diseases at the start of the study.”

For this newly released study, researchers looked at data from 239 large studies from 32 countries which included 10.6 million participants between 1970 and 2015. Participants were followed for an average of 14 years.

The results showed that a BMI of 22.5-25  ( healthy weight) had the lowest mortality. The risk of mortality increases as BMI increases. BMI of 25-27.5 was associated with a 7% higher risk of mortality. BMI of 27.5-<30  was associated with a 20% higher risk. BMI of 30.0-35.0 was associated with a 45% higher risk and BMI of 35.0-40.0 was associated with a 94% higher risk; and a BMI of 40.0-60.0  was associated with a nearly 300% higher risk. Participants who were underweight also had a higher mortality risk.

The bottom line is obvious- maintain a healthy weight to maintain your health.

For more of the latest in nutritional/ lifestyle research check all of my blog posts at www.drsobo.com/blog

For the best care in Integrative Medicine call Henry C. Sobo, M.D., at 203-348-8805 or write us at [email protected]