Re: Health risks-arthritis ++
- From: Ginnie <ginnies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 04:55:29 GMT
Agreed, and then some. BMI is a shortcut, rather than an accurate
analysis. While even the *old* weight tables made allowances for
male or female, slight or large build, they didn't compensate well
enough for individual stature and body fat percentage.
Having dealt with weight issues my whole life, I remember the old
standard for *women* used to be: (within arguing distance)
• 100 lbs. for the first five feet of height.
• 5 lbs. an inch above that (for men, I think it was 7 lbs.)
• Plus or Minus up to 15(?) lbs., for slight or heavy bone structure.
For 5'9" tall, that meant 145 lbs. was 'normal' *for a woman*, with
a range from 130 to 160 lbs.
The government BMI chart says, at 5'9" tall, *regardless of sex*,
'normal' is anywhere from BMI 18.5 to 24.9 (125 to 168 lbs.). At
that same height, you're considered 'obese' for a BMI anywhere
from 25.0 to 39.9 (169 to 269 lbs.)
Let's use ME to illustrate that *neither* standard makes sufficient
allowances for bone structure and body fat %age.
I'm physically my dad's clone, but compressed from 6'1" to 5'9". Female,
with very big/long bones, I've got a 24" skull (very large for a female, so
heavier than the normal woman), and arms that are 2" longer than they
proportionately should be (four extra inches more flesh and bone).
I could wear my 6'1" dad's shirt size, if it weren't for big boobs (DD's are
heavier than the normal woman's B's at ANY height/weight).
My ring size is 6 1/2 (normal), but my overly long hands and fingers
(heavier than the normal woman) can play large piano chords that few
other females can reach. My size 12M feet (equal to my dad's 10 1/2's) are
heavier than the normal woman's size 7 or 8 (whatever).
Years ago, when I got down to 170 lbs., I looked very thin, even though
I wore a size 14. But I couldn't *hold* 170, even though I was active,
a skier, etc., and eating less than most folks, due to a gastric bypass.
My doc said I should weigh 185 lbs. as *normal for my body*. But while
185 may LOOK normal on me, on paper it translates to a 27.3 BMI.
So, at *my* ideal weight, to whoever clings to the BMI standard, I'm
17 lbs. overweight. Even using the old tables, my ideal weight is 25 lbs.
over their high end of 'normal'.
Go figure.
Ginnie >^..^< (How much is that in cat pounds?)
You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar.
_________________________________
spodosaurus wrote:
The study is BS because it uses BMI, not actual body fat percentage measurements. BMI is a cheap and nasty way of interpretting bodyfat and is not valid or reliable. Until they actually put some effort (and money) into measuring bodyfat all of these studies will have a fatal flaw. BMI is the baby of insurance companies..
Regards,
Ari
Califchief wrote:Being Even a Few Pounds Overweight Can Kill You,
Researchers Report
08-22-2006 14:57
By ALICIA CHANG, Science Writer
Being a little overweight can kill you,
according to new research that leaves little
room for denial that a few extra pounds is
harmful. Baby boomers who were even just a tad
pudgy were more likely to die prematurely than
those who were at a healthy weight, U.S.
researchers reported Tuesday.
While obesity has been known to contribute to
early death, the link between being overweight
and dying prematurely has been controversial.
Some experts have argued that a few extra pounds
does no harm.
However, this is one of the first major studies
to account for the factors of smoking and
chronic illness, which can complicate efforts to
figure out how much weight itself is responsible
for early death.
"The cumulative evidence is now even stronger,"
said Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist of
the American Cancer Society who had no role in
the research. "Being overweight does increase
health risks. It's not simply a cosmetic or
social problem."
A separate large study of Korean patients, also
released Tuesday, reached the same conclusion.
Both are being published in this week's New
England Journal of Medicine.
An estimated two-thirds of Americans adults are
overweight or obese, according to federal
statistics. Obesity raises the risk of heart
disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.
Being overweight increases blood pressure and
cholesterol levels, which in turn could lead to
heart disease.
The latest studies contradict controversial
research by the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention last year that suggested
being a little plump isn't so bad. Since then,
CDC chief Dr. Julie Gerberding distanced herself
from the report and acknowledged potential flaws
in the study that included people with health
problems who tend to weigh less.
The U.S. study, by scientists at the National
Cancer Institute, involved more than half a
million people, ages 50 to 71, participating in
a research project by the National Institutes of
Health and AARP, formerly known as the American
Association of Retired Persons.
Researchers analyzed patients' body-mass index
and mortality rate over a 10-year period from
questionnaires they filled out in 1995 and 1996
detailing their weight and diet.
Under current government standards, a BMI _ or
weight-to-height measurement _ of 25 or higher
is overweight; 30 and above is obese.
Generally, you must be 30 pounds overweight be
to considered obese. Using the body-mass index,
a 5-foot-10 man would be considered overweight
if he is between 174 to 208 pounds, and obese at
209 pounds or more.
Overall, baby boomers who were underweight or
obese had an increased risk of death compared
with normal-weight people. The risk was
particularly high for Hispanics, Asians and
American Indians than for whites and blacks.
However, people who were merely overweight had
no substantial increased risk.
But in a separate analysis of 186,000 healthy
people _ who had never smoked _ overweight
people were 20 to 40 percent more likely to die
prematurely than normal-weight people. The risk
increased two- to three-fold for obese people.
CDC spokeswoman Karen Hunter declined to comment
on the federal study, saying the public health
agency does not comment on research done by
other government branches.
In a separate study of 1.2 million Korean
patients, ages 30 to 95, researchers from the
Yonsei University in South Korea and Johns
Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public
Health reported similar findings.
Among about half a million healthy non-smokers,
overweight people had a 10 to 50 percent greater
risk of dying from heart disease or cancer than
normal-weight people.
The two studies clearly show that being
overweight "is not a benign condition," said Dr.
Frank Hu, an epidemiologist and obesity
researcher at the Harvard School of Public
Health.
"The public health message should be loud and
clear: Maintaining a healthy weight and
preventing weight gain in middle age is
important to maintaining longevity," said Hu,
who was not connected to the research.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Tim Byers of
the University of Colorado recommended taking
"small steps toward weight control, such as
short bursts of activity" and changes to diet.
Several years ago, Byers eliminated powdered
doughnuts from his diet and lost 10 pounds. With
a current BMI of just over 27, he looks for
other ways to shed the weight like climbing
stairs instead of taking the elevator to his
fourth-floor office.
___
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