SKINNY IS DANGEROUS - PERIOD. According to new research...OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE - including the OBESE AND severely obese - OUTLIVE the UNDERWEIGHT...
LET'S LOOK AT WHAT THE STUDY FOUND IN COMPARING BOTH LOW AND HIGH BMI TO "NORMAL" BMI (18.5-24.9) IN REGARDS TO RISK OF DEATH:
- Adults who are UNDERWEIGHT (BMI of less than 18.5) have a 1.8 TIMES HIGHER RISK OF DYING
- Adults who are OBESE (BMI of 30-34.9) have a 1.2 TIMES HIGHER RISK OF DYING
- Adults who are MORBIDLY OBESE (BMI of >35) have a 1.3 TIMES HIGHER RISK OF DYING
Being UNDERWEIGHT (BMI <18.5) puts people at INCREASED RISK of diseases or conditions that can either make people VERY ILL or even be FATAL (including cardiovascular disease such as heart failure, lung disease, and falls and injuries from poor fitness and less muscle mass).
"The study's finding should serve as a warning to people who are restricting food, over-exercising and sliding themselves into an underweight category in pursuit of the “ideal body weight", the researchers said.
As Dietitians, the obesity we look at is WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE. Everyone needs a bit of body fat to be HEALTHY... Fat stored on the bum, hips and thighs is not as dangerous as abdominal fat.
PLEASE NOTE: As BMI tells us about muscle mass and fat, BMI is more useful for LOWER WEIGHTS (BMI = <18.5) than for HIGHER WEIGHTS.
OUR OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT WITHIN YOUR BODY'S IDEAL BODY WEIGHT RANGE. WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, WE CAN HELP YOU ESTABLISH AND ACHIEVE JUST THAT.
[Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health] [PHOTO CREDIT: ANNA SCHOLZ]
