foodconsumer.org: Even moderate obesity not a death risk factor

Even moderate obesity not a death risk factor
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admin on 01/30/2010 14:45:00
 
An Australian study reported yesterday on foodconsumer.org suggests that elderly
people being overweight were less likely to die for a period of 10 years than
those who were obese or had normal body weight.
The study published Jan 28 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has
many limitations, indicating that the study results may not be applicable to a
general population because for one thing many people dead or having conditions
were excluded.
This study is not alone suggesting that being overweight does not raise death
risk among elderly people even though there was no reporting of its effect on
other health conditions.
One study led recently by Mehta N. K and change V W. from the University of
Michigan School of Public Health found being overweight or even moderate obese
did not increase death risk in middle-aged adults.
Mehta and Change looked at data from participants in the Health and Retirement
Study conducted between 1992 and 2004 and found men and women being obese with a
body mass index of greater than 35.0 kg/m2 were 62 percent and 40 percent more
likely than those with a normal body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2,
respectively.
However, those being moderately obese with a BMI between 30.00 and 34.9 kg/m2 or
being overweight with a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2 were not at excess death
risk compared to those with a normal BMI, according to the researchers.
Morbid obesity defined as having a BMI greater than 35.0 kg/m2 was found
responsible for 4 percent of deaths among women and 3 percent of deaths among
men.
Obesity is often considered as risky as cigarette smoking as a source of
avoidable mortality.  But the study found smoking was responsible for 36 percent
of deaths among women and 50 percent in men.
The study results appear in the Nov 2009 issue of Demography.
By David Liu