Health risks begin in overweight range, BMI doesn't tell whole storyJune 09, 2009Advisory highlights: * Being overweight increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health conditions. * Excess weight is progressive; thus, everyone above normal weight - including children - should avoid weight increases and reduce weight through healthy diet choices and regular physical activity. * The statement recommends doing research on overweight and health, beyond studies that focus solely on the relationship between total body mass index and risk of death. DALLAS, June 8, 2009 - Being overweight is a health concern, and using only body mass index (BMI) to determine weight classification may not give an accurate picture of a person's health, according to an advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. About one-third of the U.S. population is overweight - the middle range between normal weight and obesity. Overweight in adults is a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9. BMI is a numerical value of weight in relation to height. Studies that examined the relationship between overweight (as measured by BMI) and risk of death from all causes (often referred to as total mortality) have had contradictory results. However, considering death from all causes overlooks the role that overweight may play in the development of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Even among the young, overweight is related to the development of serious risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, elevated levels of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Part of the problem with quantifying the true impact of overweight lies in the way it's commonly measured, say the experts. The widely-used body mass index doesn't distinguish between fat mass which is related to important health concerns - such as type 2 diabetes - and lean mass, including muscle, which reduces health risks. Also, BMI does not directly measure the distribution of fat, such as whether there is greater fat at the waist than at the hips, which may be more detrimental to health. Focusing on the relationship between total mortality and BMI misses the "larger picture," the statement said. "This larger picture includes important relationships between BMI and other health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and its risk factors," said Cora E. Lewis, M.D., M.S.P.H., lead author of the advisory and professor of medicine and public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Arguably, the most important relationship among the cardiovascular disease risk factors is diabetes, which is significantly more common in overweight than in normal-weight people." The advisory recommends doing research on overweight and health, beyond studies that focus solely on the relationship between total body mass index and risk of death. "Meanwhile, we cannot afford to wait for this research to begin addressing the problem of overweight in our patients and in our society," write the advisory authors. An increasing number of children are overweight, which puts them at risk for developing higher than normal blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar. "Weight gain is progressive and weight loss difficult. Although a young child is unlikely to have a heart attack, overweight children are likely to become overweight or obese adults, which puts them at risk for cardiovascular events as they mature. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is of high importance for all Americans," said Lewis. Physical inactivity and excess weight increase risk of death and other adverse health outcomes; so overweight and obese persons in particular would benefit from adopting a physically active lifestyle and healthy eating habits. Advisory co-authors include Kathleen M. McTigue, M.D., M.P.H.; Lora E. Burke, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Paul Poirier, M.D., Ph.D.; Robert H. Eckel, M.D.; Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D.; David B. Allison, Ph.D.; Shiriki Kumanyika, Ph.D., M.P.H.; and F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, M.D. Author disclosures are available on the manuscript. American Heart Association |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Overweight Current Events and Overweight News Articles Fat around the middle increases the risk of dementia Women who store fat on their waist in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop dementia when they get older, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. Other Illnesses, Body Weight Do Not Explain Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer Survival, UAB Researchers Say A new study by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers shows that body-mass index (BMI) and co-existing medical conditions (co-morbidity) do not explain the decreased survival observed among African-Americans compared to Caucasians who also have colon cancer. To eat or not to eat? Mental budgets help control consumption If you feel like you're in a losing battle with a triple-chocolate cake, a "mental budget" can help, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Mood improves on low-fat, but not low-carb, diet plan After one year, a low-calorie, low-fat diet appears more beneficial to dieters' mood than a low-carbohydrate plan with the same number of calories. Scripps team shows diet switching can activate brain's stress system, lead to 'withdrawal' symptoms In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain's stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms. We spend more on products with detailed nutritional information People would be willing to pay more for products that carry detailed nutritional information than for the so-called light items. New finding suggests prostate biopsy is not always necessary Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. Physical education key to improving health in low-income adolescents School-based physical education plays a key role in curbing obesity and improving fitness among adolescents from low-income communities, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley. Health-centered weight control method shows promise Most weight-control strategies emphasize energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity - and most are not effective over the long term. Addressing obesity via the 'energy gap' The November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association features a commentary by James O. Hill, an honorary ADA member, professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado-Denver. More Overweight Current Events and Overweight News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||