Bob-a-job-alog-a-roonie

I have read, here and there, that being slightly overweight was actually the healthiest weight to be. Now I read an article entitled Mild obesity takes years off your life at New Scientist that I wish was better written...

They looked at almost 900,000 people, mostly from Europe and North America, to see whether those with a higher body mass index (BMI) were more likely to die early.

BMI is a measure of how obese a person is, based on their weight and height (calculate yours here). The ideal range is 22.5 to 25 kilograms per square metre.

People whose BMI was higher than 25 kg/m2 had shorter lifespans on average.

Those who were moderately overweight, with a BMI between 30 and 35 kg/m2, lived two to four years less. This level of mild obesity is now common, particularly among middle-aged people.

People who were severely obese, with a BMI between 40 and 45 kg/m2, lived eight to ten years less on average – a reduction comparable to that caused by smoking. This level of morbid obesity is still rare.

Yeah good one! No mention of the 25-30 kg/m2 category, the one I figure is where I sit (literally). Based on all the figures they provided, I still could be in the healthiest category, but the article makes me feel like I need to like go to the gym or something.

Labels: obesity, overweight