Scientists from Rutgers University have found that most overweight people can have the same mortality rate as normal-weight people. Research published in the journal PLOS ONE.
In the new study, the scientists analyzed data from surveys of 554,332 American adults for 1999-2018 and the US National Death Index for 2019.
To assess the presence of excess weight, the scientists used the body mass index (BMI), an indicator based on height and weight. On average, participants were 46 years old and 50% were women. At an average follow-up of 9 years and a maximum of 20 years, the researchers recorded 75,807 deaths.
The researchers found that teenagers had the same risk of death for any BMI between 22.5 and 27.4. At the same time, a BMI over 25.0 is considered a sign of overweight. Obese adults (BMI 30 and above) had a 21-108% higher risk of death than their normal-weight peers.
In the elderly, the BMI range for which the risk of death was moderate was even wider: 22.5 to 34.9. This could mean that older people may have an average risk of death, even if they are moderately obese.
However, it is well known that high BMI can contribute to the development of a number of cardiovascular diseases. The authors concluded that more studies are needed to assess not only weight but also body composition (muscle-to-fat ratio) and lifestyle for death and heart disease risk.
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