Posted on 02/21/2019 7:17:35 PM PST by Gamecock
Lesbian and bisexual women are at increased risk of being overweight or obese compared to heterosexual women, according to new research from the University of East Anglia and UCL.
Gay men however are less likely to be overweight than their straight counterparts, and more at risk of being underweight.
The study, published today in the Journal of Public Health, is the first to investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and body mass index (BMI) using population data in the UK.
The findings support the argument that sexual identity should be considered as a social determinant of health.
The research team pooled data from 12 UK national health surveys involving 93,429 participants and studied the relationship between sexual orientation and BMI.
Lead researcher Dr. Joanna Semlyen, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "We found that women who identify as lesbian or bisexual are at an increased risk of being overweight or obese, compared to heterosexual women. This is worrying because being overweight and obese are known risk factors for a number of conditions including coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer and early death.
"Conversely, gay and bisexual men are more likely than heterosexual men to be underweight, and there is growing evidence that being underweight is linked to a range of health problems too, including excess deaths.
"We also found that gay men are significantly less likely than straight men to be overweight or obese.
"This study demonstrates that there is a relationship between sexual identity and BMI and that this link appears to be different for men and women.
"There are a number of possible explanations for these findings. We know that sexual minority groups are more likely to be exposed to psychosocial stressors, which impacts on their mental health and their health behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use and which may influence their health behaviours such as diet or physical activity.
"These stressors include homophobia and heterosexism, negative experiences that are experienced by the lesbian, bisexual and gay population as a result of their sexual orientation identity and are known to be linked to health.
"Until 2008, sexual orientation wasn't recorded in health surveys. This means that until recently it has not been possible to determine health inequalities affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
"Continued collection of data on sexual orientation identity within national health surveys allows us to measure the health of sexual minorities.
"We hope that policy makers and clinicians will be able to use this fresh evidence to provide better healthcare and tailored advice and interventions for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. We need longitudinal research to understand the factors underlying the relationship between sexual orientation and BMI, and research to understand more about being underweight, especially in this population."
HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Why am I not surprised
Homosexual men tend to be underweight because they carry a host of diseases like hiv / aids, hepatitis, vd and they tend to abuse hard drugs.
The men somehow caused them to get fat .
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Of course! Males are the scapegoats for everything that goes wrong in the world.
I’ve always suspected I’m a lesbian trapped in a mans body. It’s just a feeling, ya’ know?
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For confirmation one way or the other try both sexes and then see how you feel.
Guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O Donnel fat.
Overweight lesbians I have known were inevitably dykes. I’ve never seen an overweight femme, some of whom were drop dead gorgeous. I guess the point is dykes don’t like fat chicks either. LOL
have rejected the natural outlet for their sexuality in favor of deviancy.
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Oh man, Juggler, you’ve stepped right in it with that comment. The PC vigilantes will be hunting you down for saying that!
Yes. Many of these people are damaged. They are in mental spiritual or emotional torment and probably crying out for help. But society will not allow them to get help.
.I don’t know the end but sometimes it just nice to be there for mixed up people.
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Call me uncaring, but I avoid mixed-up people as if they were lepers, because they can cause you untold pain and grief in a heartbeat. My attitude: Go away, you’re not my problem!
Trump’s fault!!
Trump’s fault!!
She would not name her attacker to school.They just knew she was rape.Later she did.Her Mother started using Meth.Granddad stepped in.Her Father died of an overdose.I found out I was being used to keep these kids in school so the Mom’s could keep collecting checks.
I was asked by Our Father to care.I might not be able to help them but I can listen.Sometimes that all they need.
No s**t! Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that it’s dark at night.
CC
Yea, HIV tends to do that to you.
I don’t get it. Don’t even lesbians find slim chicks hot?
See my tag line.
L
Actually I was being sarcastic, ironic.
I was referring to the problem of lesbian obesity, and trying to poke fun at it as horrific catastrophe, when actually it’s a bunch of piffle.
Nasty problems. Centered around that “mother” ...and government dollars not morals and ethics.
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