Some doubt has been cast on whether body mass index (BMI) is an adequate measure of obesity. Waits measurement alone is suggested as an alternative. Obesity, defined by a BMI (weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres) of 30.0 or more, is associated with an increased risk of death, but the relation between overweight (a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9) and the risk of death has been questioned. The authors prospectively examined BMI in relation to the risk of death from any cause in 527 265 US men and women in the National Institutes of Health–AARP cohort who were 50–71 years old at enrolment in 1995–96. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Relative risks and 95% CIs were adjusted for age, race or ethnic group, level of education, smoking status, physical activity, and alcohol intake. During a maximum follow-up of 10 years through 2005, 61 317 participants (42 173 men and 19 144 women) died. Initial analyses showed an increased risk of death for the highest and lowest categories of BMI among both men and women, in all racial or ethnic groups, and at all ages. When the analysis was restricted to healthy people who had never smoked, the risk of death was associated with both overweight and obesity among men and women. In analyses of BMI during midlife (age of 50 years) among those who had never smoked, the associations became stronger, with the risk of death increasing by 20–40% among overweight persons and by two to at least three times among obese persons; the risk of death among underweight persons was attenuated.
Adams KF, Schatzkin A, Harris TB, et al.
Overweight, obesity, and mortality in a large prospective cohort of persons 50 to 71 years old. N Engl J Med 2006;355:763–78.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Heart 2006;92:1886-1888
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