Thursday, March 19, 2009

Newsflash - Weight's not good for your health!


Published this week in the Lancet.

A meta-analysis summarizing 57 studies on the effects of BMI on mortality.

900,000 subjects in total and they excluded deaths in the first 5 years to eliminate the bias of death from subjects already dying (and consequently in many cases often quite skinny due to the wasting associated with many chronic illnesses).

The results?

All-cause mortality was lowest among those with BMIs in from 22.5 to 25.

Above a BMI of 25, every 5-unit increase in BMI translated to a:

  • 30% increased risk for all-cause mortality;
  • 40% higher risk for death from heart disease or stroke;
  • 60% to 120% increase in renal, hepatic, or diabetic mortality;
  • 10% increased risk for cancer-related deaths.

  • I wonder how folks who make their livings as contrarians to the risks of weight are going to spin this one?