A Few Extra Pounds Won’t Kill You
In fact, they may prolong your life a bit.
The report, published online last week in the journal Obesity, found that overall, people who were overweight but not obese — defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 — were actually less likely to die than people of normal weight, defined as a B.M.I. of 18.5 to 24.9.
By contrast, people who were underweight, with a B.M.I. under 18.5, were more likely to die than those of average weight. Their risk of dying was 73 percent higher than that of normal weight people, while the risk of dying for those who were overweight was 17 percent lower than for people of normal weight.
The finding adds to a simmering scientific controversy over the optimal weight for adults. In 2007, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute reported that overweight adults were less likely than normal weight adults to die from a variety of diseases, including infections and lung disease.
This comes as no surprise to me: some extra body mass represents a metabolic reserve that people can rely on during prolonged illness or recovery from injury/surgery, which are highly catabolic states.
I have a pretty low bodyfat percentage, but don’t pretend it’s for my health. In fact, I’ve occasionally joked that there are very few survival advantages associated with it: in a famine, I’d be the first to keel over from starvation; in a boating accident, I’d be the first to drown (I’m a good swimmer, but can’t float… if I don’t stay in constant motion, I sink like a rock); trapped in the snow, I’d be the first to succumb to hypothermia (fat is an insulator). In reality, the only benefit of being as “healthy” as I am, is that I stand a better chance of fighting off – or running away from – an attacker. Being lean – ironically – is a condition born of (relative) affluence…I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, and I have the leisure to perform specialized exercise (vs. backbreaking labor).
This is a site about losing weight and getting into shape, of course… but the moral of the story is that I don’t believe everyone can – or should – aspire to be as thin as humanly possible; or torture themselves trying to achieve a largely illusory physical perfection. As I’ve pointed out before, it’s not psychologically healthy…and isn’t particularly physically healthy either. To make a long story short: you don’t have to be model-thin or shredded if – ultimately – health and longevity is the goal. What’s realistically attainable and sustainable is more important.
