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American Medicine

We live in a society obsessed with weight, body image, food and physical appearance. There is a consistent battle of “fat vs. skinny” that our culture fights with every day – both sides having negative and positive aspects. Being overweight has been long recognized as an adverse health risk, as having a higher body mass has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, earlier death and some forms of cancer, while being skinny, or too skinny, is linked to low bone density, fatigue and malnutrition. That being said, “skinny” is currently the lesser of the two evils: being overweight is considered by many as the greatest health risk our society faces.

A new study has found that just being a little overweight – having a body mass index [BMI] of between 25 and 30  is not harmful and may even reduce your risk of death. However, as we have always been told, being obese – having a BMI over 30 – does increase your risk of death. The new data shows that the risk of death was not higher if patients were only slightly obese (BMI 30 to 35); a higher degree of obesity (BMI over 35) raised the risk of death at all ages.

Studies such as these can be misleading, though, as being overweight may lead to obesity. In that same note, being overweight can be extremely dangerous if you have other risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension, history of smoking, or high cholesterol.

The takeaway? Be mindful of your health and keep in mind the following:

– It is important to discuss your weight, diet and exercise habits with your physician, especially if you are at risk/considered overweight

– Try not to become obese, and monitor your BMI every month

– Ask your doctor to also evaluate other risk factors in your life, which may make being overweight or obese more dangerous

– If you are over 65, maintain your health and discuss reasonable weight goals with your doctor in light of the new information

To calculate your BMI (body mass index), see the reference in Chapter 13 Keeping Track of Your Medical Care: Your Medical Record and Scorecard in my new book Surviving American Medicine.