Moderate Overweight: Protective or Not?"Obesity paradox" takes a hit from new study

[AussieNeil]

Of interest to those trying to get their BMI into a healthy range:

'Using data from three large cohort studies, comprising over 225,000 individuals, the researchers demonstrated that, no, there was no protective effect of being overweight. In fact, there was a small, but significant, added risk for all-cause mortality.

What did this study do that the 97 in that meta-analysis didn't? They looked at maximum weight achieved over the past 16 years in addition to current weight. This helps to account for those people that lost weight due to underlying, perhaps undiagnosed, diseases.'

medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCar...

Figure 1 is worth a look

Neil

Photo: Crimson Rosella

[Kwenda]

As usual it is the trend that is important, just like a complete blood count.

A single measurement does not prove very much.

Snip:-..

' The take-home here is that a single measurement of BMI at one timepoint may not be that useful. Trends in weight are much more important. '

Like my complete blood counts, my weight trend is a little upwards...

Time, summer time, to get back into my cycling and walking again..

And, just perhaps, a few less beers... Sigh....

Dick

[dougstalbans]

I do not count myself as an expert but I have chosen to go from borderline underweight to borderline overweight since diagnosis. If the CLL kicks in & I need treatment I feel it is best that I am not at risk of being too underweight from illness or treatment. People do think I look healthier now - for what that may be worth. I do exercise (cycling to work) & I do try to live healthily as I've done for decades & maybe it's helping me stay relatively fit but time will tell. Others putting on weight may do so from unhealthy comfort-eating & have less benefit.

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to dougstalbans]

When I went on a diet recently, my GP didn't want me reducing my weight too much for similar reasons - having some reserve to get through infections/treatment. BMI doesn't measure fitness, which is also an important factor in how well we get through illnesses/treatment.

Neil

[scarletnoir]

Too bad - I'd been thinking no need to do anything about the spare tyre! Still, the extra fat may have been useful when I got an infection immediately after chemo (9 days in hospital - lost 5-7 kg, I forget the exact figure). I also tend to think (without any knowledge of research data) that those overweight as a result of a couch potato lifestyle must be more at risk than those of us who are, actually, pretty active - but just happen to like the good things in life a bit too much! (Like most people, I can find good reasons to justify my behaviour!)