Study says:

The report on nearly three million people found that those whose B.M.I. ranked them as overweight had less risk of dying than people of normal weight. And while obese people had a greater mortality risk over all, those at the lowest obesity level (B.M.I. of 30 to 34.9) were not more likely to die than normal-weight people.

There does seem to be some question, at least among the experts quoted in this story, as to whether people ranked overweight by their Body Mass Index live longer because of their weight (“There’s something about extra body fat when you’re older that is providing some reserve,” says one expert) or because their weight is just causing them to have increased contact with medical professionals (“You’re more likely to be in your doctor’s office and more likely to be treated,” says another expert).

But, this seems clear: “Fat per se is not as bad as we thought.”

Eli Sanders is The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won this,...

6 replies on “You Don’t Have to Be Thin to Be Healthy”

  1. Meanwhile, reporting of the study has been slammed by serious scientists the world over, because it ignores the fact that BMI is an absolutely terrible measure of anything. If you start working out, your BMI will likely go up as you generate more muscle mass.

  5. @stu, precisely! The BMI is a joke, and if the the study were correct (it is not) Americans would have great longevity because this country is FAT! Some people will carry more body mass and fat due to genetics (and it is their natural predisposition) but being a outright fat ass is NOT at all helpful to your health, I wonder who sponsored this “study”

  6. The vast majority of people who have a BMI of over 30 are clearly obese. To say the scale isn’t accurate and therefore completely worthless because “you know this one guy who is all ripped and lifts weights and shit and has a BMI score of 30+” is ridiculous. Physically fit people of this level will always be the exception to the rule.

    *This study brought to you by those who make money off of unhealthy, always-going-to-the-doctor fatties.

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