Posted on 06/19/2009 10:15:04 AM PDT by Nachum
Health experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer. People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
The study divided people into four weight classes at age 40 according to their body mass index, or BMI, calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their squared height in metres.
The normal range is 18.5 to 25, with thinness defined as under 18.5. A BMI of 25 to 30 was classed as slightly overweight and an index above 30 as obese.
I'm 6' 2" and 180 lbs., and no one would call me chubby, but my BMI comes out to 23.1, the upper half of their normal. If I drop ten pounds I'm looking very slender.
That 18.5 BMI must be what most would call skin and bones. And this seems to conflict with the calorie restricters who are pretty skinny and believe calorie restriction prolongs life.
well I have love handles etc.-—but I am not totally OBEAST—so I guess I am OK
Do they die sooner because they are very thin or are they very thin because they have a health problem?
A lot a skinny people would still be above their threshold for "skinny".
Welcome to FR!
For example my BMI is 25.33, which falls into the high end of normal or low end of slightly overweight, but in reality my body fat percentage is much lower than average at only 8% ("normal" is around 15%). I am definitely not slightly overweight and most people describe me as "athletic" or "thin".
Not really -- the lowest 25% lived much shorter than any of the upper three quartiles. The top quartile (obese) lived just slightly shorter than the next highest quartile (chubby) who were the longest living quartile. The 'normal' quartile lived virtually the same as 'obese' quartile (e.g. chubby: 41.64, normal:39.94 vs obese:39.41, slim:34.54 years beyond 40 for men). The only group that really stood out were the slim quartile who live substantially shorter than the other three quartiles.
Obese men and women (BMI of 30 or more) live a further 39.41 and 46.02 years, respectively. But thin men (BMI of less than 18.5) are on average expected to live 34.54 more years, and thin women another 41.79 years, the study showed.
Lots of good tidbits in this thread. As a chubby male, this is good news. I also happen to “suffer” from hypothyroidism, and the medication actually catalyzed weight loss to the tune of almost 40 lbs.
I believe that the slower our metabolism is pegged, the longer we’ll live is a great theory. It makes biological sense, and maybe it’s an evolutionary trait that is desirable? Think about it... if a society of people are chubby but, as another poster pointed out, consume primarily fat from protein like fish and rice, their overall health is perfect.
Despite a higher-than-normal BMI, I have a lower BP than most men 100 lbs. lighter than me, are more flexible than men 100 lbs. lighter than me, and I have positive markers across the board for heart disease and diabetes. It comes down to genetics and proper teaching of eating habits to our offspring. Our lifestyles affect our waistlines, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat junk all the time.
Our problem isn’t how much we eat, it’s the quality of our food!
I was the original model for the “Stick Man”. Tell me about how being skinny s**ks...
Another liberal myth bites the dust.
Ya hear that, Ann Coulter? Have a cheeseburger, already!
thanks, bfl
Liberal "health experts" worship the body. They're the same people who push global warming - think every man's butt is what women care about - and want women to have the build of teenage boys. How could it not have been a lie?
bump to the top
This might explain why all those old Czech farmers in south-central Minnesota lived to be in their 90's. Sauerkraut, pork, potato dumplings, and lard.
Sort of glad to hear about the low thyroid advantage. I don’t like being a low thyroid, but perhaps I will outlive you all! Ha ha!
I wonder if taking my thyroid supplements negates the benefits. . .
“Despite a higher-than-normal BMI, I have a lower BP than most men 100 lbs. lighter than me, are more flexible than men 100 lbs. lighter than me, and I have positive markers across the board for heart disease and diabetes.”
Interesting, my situation, too. My blood sugar is great, my triglycerides good, my blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol is 201 but heavy on the “good” cholesterol, I’m very flexible, my skin is clear, my energy level is very good. I almost never get sick at all. Several kids at home, and if I do catch what is going around, I get about a 10% dose and recover so quickly, usually.
And I eat a doughnut about five times a year! I’ve never eaten a whole pizza, a whole bag of chips, a whole container of ice cream, a whole package of cookies - any of the stereotypical things high BMIs are accused of, and I suppose, are often guilty of.
People are different, bottom line.
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