In a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association recently, being slightly overweight actually reduces the risk of dying early. The study does show what we have all assumed: that obesity does indeed increase the risk of early death. This does go against the thinking commonly held that risk of death is directly proportional to the amount a person is overweight.
The study was conducted on data from 97 different studies of almost three million people in the US, China, Europe, Australia, Japan, India, Mexico and Brazil. The Body Mass Index, or BMI, which is a measurement of body fat accounting for height and weight, was a major factor that the researchers evaluated. The study specifically found that obese people had an 18% higher risk than people of normal weight, but people who were considered overweight but not obese had a 6% lower risk of death than the normal weight base.
A few of the reasons given for this are:
• Heavier people may feel they are more at risk, so they are more apt to get regular checkups and address health issues promptly.
• Some fat may actually be cardio-protective for many people.
• Some people who are heavier may have greater resiliency and therefore are better able to deal with stress to the system when it occurs.
It is important to note that this study did not find a cause-and-effect relationship between a person's weight and premature death risk. Body weight alone is not a predictor of death risk. Beyond body mass index are such factors as cholesterol, smoking, overall fitness, family history and mental health that also play immense rolls in premature death. We should think of our body mass index as merely a parameter, as the issues surrounding premature death are quite complex.
Furthermore, the study only looks at death, and not chronic medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke and cardiac risk factors, cancer risk, fatty liver and gall bladder disease. Any one of these by themselves may not be killers, at least not in the short-term, but over time could, and probably will cause health complications. This study only accounts for mortality caused directly by being overweight.
So what does this study all mean? First, and most obvious, is that being obese is unquestionably a dangerous health situation. It must be avoided at all costs. Next, perhaps we must look at what overweight really is. If being overweight by our present standards of body mass index does not present a health risk, maybe we should take another look at what we define as normal.
Lastly, as with any study this generalizes about people, and although there are many similarities, everybody is a little different. For one person to carry some excess weight there may never be any health issues at all. But for others, even a little excess weight may trigger problems. Plus of course as we move into different stages of our lives, what was once not an issue suddenly rears its ugly head. We think the best advice is to know your own body, keep informed, and always be proactive to providing the best for your long-term health.
Weight and proper diet is something we talk a lot about on our website http://healtheybalanceddiet.com/. Even though being a little on the heavy side may not be as critical to our health as we sometimes hear, it is very important to watch our weight. Check out an interesting article on how water can help your diet. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast now living in Chicago.
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق