Summary of Excess Weight & Obesity Is Far More Deadly Than We Realized:
A new study challenges the conventional wisdom on obesity and mortality risk, indicating that excess weight or obesity boosts death risk by 22% to 91%, a significantly higher rate than previously believed, contradicting the “obesity paradox,” suggesting that only extreme cases of obesity increase mortality risk. The limitations of using body mass index (BMI) as a health metric are also highlighted, as it doesn’t account for body composition differences or how long a person has been overweight. After adjusting for these biases, the study estimates that 1 in 6 U.S. adult deaths are related to excess weight or obesity, emphasizing the need to address the country’s obesogenic environment.
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Study Challenges Conventional Wisdom on Obesity and Mortality Risk
A recent study published in Population Studies challenges the “obesity paradox” and indicates that excess weight or obesity may significantly increase mortality risk. The research finds that obesity can boost death risk by 22% to 91%, a much higher rate than previously believed. This study also highlights the limitations of using body mass index (BMI) as a health metric. It fails to account for body composition differences and the duration of being overweight.
Limitations of Using BMI as a Health Metric
BMI, which uses only a person’s weight and height, is commonly used to measure health. However, this study shows that BMI doesn’t fully capture all the nuances and differences in body shapes and sizes. It doesn’t consider differences in body composition or how long a person has been overweight. As a result, previous studies may have incorrectly concluded that elevated BMI generally does not raise mortality risk until very high levels.
The study’s author, Ryan Masters, explains that a lifetime of carrying excess weight may lead to illnesses that paradoxically lead to rapid weight loss, which can skew study results. Masters reveals that by including people who have spent most of their life at low-BMI weight in the high-BMI categories, previous studies have inadvertently made high BMI look less risky.
Exposing the Risks of an Obesogenic Environment
According to the study, excess weight or obesity may be related to one in six U.S. adult deaths, emphasizing the need to address the country’s “obesogenic” environment. An unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle with more readily available unhealthy food options contributes to this crisis. Masters suggests this problem is not an individual issue but a public health crisis requiring urgent action.
A Straight Upward Line and A Public Health Crisis
Contrary to previous research, the study reveals no significant mortality risk for the “underweight” category. Additionally, the research finds that those with low BMI (18.5–22.5) had the lowest mortality risk. Re-examining the numbers without BMI-related biases, the study finds a straight upward line, indicating that high BMI is much riskier than previous studies have suggested.
This study is a call for caution when making conclusions based on BMI. With the increasing availability of unhealthy food and sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm in the U.S., substantial interventions are needed to mitigate its negative impact on health and longevity. Masters hopes that this work will influence higher-level discussions on what society can do about the public health crisis of obesity.
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