Previous research had suggested having a body mass index (BMI) higher than the range considered a healthy weight, but not above the point, at which people are said to be obese, could in fact help people live longer.
A study of more than 100,000 adults by Danish researchers found people with the longest lifespan had a BMI in the ‘overweight’ category, not ‘healthy’ as might be expected.
However, the new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine casts doubt on these findings, with being overweight associated with an increased mortality rate.
Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or more, thus it includes pre-obesity defined as a BMI between 25 and 30 and obesity as defined by a BMI of 30 or more. Pre-obese and overweight, however, are often used interchangeably, thus giving overweight a common definition of a BMI of between 25 and 30.
There are, however, several other common ways to measure the amount of adiposity or fat present in an individual’s body. However, Assistant Professor of Global Health at Boston University, Andrew Stokes, who led the study, said people with a history of being overweight had a six per cent increased risk of death.
He called this rise ‘modest,’ but said the findings were still “extremely worrisome” because of the high number of overweight people in the United States. According to Stokes, the study confirmed that “there is no benefit of being overweight on risk of death, and indicate thatbeingoverweightisactually associated with an increased risk of dying.”
The Danish study looked at weights at one point in time, which couldhave meant people whowereonceoverweight, but had lost weight due to fatal illnesses were counted in the ‘healthy weight’ category, said Stokes, according to the report in the USA Today. Stokes and his team attempted to compensate for this by focusing on the maximum BMI in a 16-year period of 225,000 adults aged over 50.
Obesity is been linked to increased mortality rates from diseases, including heart disease, cancer and lung disease.
At a 2014 health conference, NHS England’s chief executive, Simon Stevens said: “Obesity is the new smoking, and it represents a slow-motion car crash in terms of avoidable illness and rising health care costs."
