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Just a Few Extra Pounds Could Mean Fewer Years, Study Finds

washingtonpost.com — Bad news for all those baby boomers starting to pile on the pounds as they go through middle age: You don't have to be obese -- just a little overweight -- to increase your risk of dying prematurely, according to a large government study.

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 27, 2006

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  • armbar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11FTA: "a 5-foot-10-inch adult who weighs between 174 and 208 pounds is considered overweight; above that is considered obese."

    I'm about 5'10", and I weigh around 185, but my body fat percentage is around 11-12%. I don't know why people take these generalizations and try to apply them to everyone, when it's really just BS.

    Stop looking at weight, and start looking at overall health and fitness, and either a BMI or body fat percentage.
  • dbalaski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I've read all this .... It's a generality -- lots of flaws and assumptions.
    IMHO -- live a full life, do it with some moderation -- but enjoy it.

    I always temper articles like this with one comment attributed to George Burns on his 89th birthday:
    Friend: George, you would live longer if you stopped smoking, drinking and chasing women.
    George Burns replied: Giving up all that! Who would want to?

  • Heembo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I swear, they were very SMALL cookies!
  • Heembo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Fck, my new diet only lasted 40 hours - I'm a dead man! :(

    Thursday, Aug 24, 2006
    excercise: small walk
    oatmeal, coffee, oj, banana
    2 apples
    2ptoast, 2 slices turkey, lettuce+cabbage
    2 apples
    salad, tuna, rice vinagar
    berries + soy

    Friday Aug 25, 2006
    excercise: hard-core kettlebell workout, gnarley make me almost puke
    oatmeal, coffee, banana 2 apples
    2ptoast, 2 slices turkey, lettuce+cabbage
    2 apples salad, tuna, rice vinagar
    1 scoop white rice, scoop corn, 2 burger patties + gravy,
    hamburger ketsup+mustard,
    chipped-beef sandwich with small cup coleslaw,
    1 cheese pizza slice,
    2 small bags popcorn,
    6 tiny cookies
  • cody50, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7yeah, if you lift lots of weights and have a large muscle mass you could be considered obese by some scales. BMI is just something they put in stupid fitness magazines and is useless.
  • cyssero, on 04/18/2009, -1/+5@cody50

    Exactly. The BMI is an extremely inaccurate way to measure body fats. I can't believe they still teach students it in PE classes at school though. I mean, it's great to educate kids about obesity and being overweight, but the BMI is not the way to do so.
  • SlashNot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think digg needs a section for stories like this, and it would be called "No ***** Sherlock"

    We know that being overweight isnt good, even if its just a little. at least I did.
  • Rosco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3more F.U.D.
  • tjordan90, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3No, you don't want to use BMI. BMI is simply weight, adjusted for an individual's height, with no other variable (i.e. sex, body fat %) considered. According to the BMI, Bo Jackson (6-1, 230), Arnold Swarzenegger (245 lbs, 6-2), and the majority of pro football players are considered "obese." BMI is distinct from body fat percentage. That being said, BMI, when studying across a large population, may be acceptable.

    I find it remarkable that "being fat" isn't reason enough to worry about your eating / exercise habits. If "being fat" creates a shorter life expectancy, then we say "Oh no, I must lose weight"? Seems like "being healthy" is a worthwhile end in and of itself, not simply as a means to living longer.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2quote Peter Griffin:

    "Uh guys, I just came from the doctor-- and I have bad news.... apparently I am fat...uh yep, didn't see that one coming"
  • drvelocity, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3That would be because you're not 50-60 yet.
  • stonebear, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The baby boom has always been underestimated; a generation of vipers, they will not die easily. It doesn’t matter how fat they get, they will make gens x and y groan beneath the weight of their medical bills and debt like Caesar on a litter, and live to be 110 in the process.
  • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yeah I agree. I don't get the obsession with living forever. I'd like to at least get 50-60 years but anything after that is a bonus IMO.
  • wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You guys have to realize this was a epidemiologic study done on a very large sample. Yes, there are limitations to BMI. But, it is easy to obtain and (in the population being studied) works pretty well.
  • Lazyboy0172, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2ah shoot. i ate a sextuple cheeseburger today at wendy's. that must have taken many years off :(
  • hehe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1BMI isn't all bad. If your BMI is 35 and you aren't muscular, you know you have a serious weight issue. Then again, if your BMI is 35 and you aren't muscular, you should be well aware of your weight issue...
  • dankoleary, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The study never addresses the spurious variable- basically that people that are a normal weight to to be healthier, and you would expect them to live longer.
  • kwazyJAS, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3and if you are underweight you live longer.
  • docg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm going to the bathroom to vomit. I'll let you know how it turns out.
  • Clockw0rk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This just in. People who age are more likely to die!

    Hey, people. It's called mortality. Get The ***** Over It.

    You live, you die. If you're enjoying yourself with a minimal amount of suffering.. You're healthy.

    Don't let anyone take that away from you.
  • slimplan4u, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If you want to do something about it then call 580-465-2493
  • slimplan4u, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If you aren't happy with your weight then do something about it. 580-465-2493
  • vdig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah, but people who eat more age faster.

    Many suppose they are protected if their excess weight is muscle mass and it is true, this is less overtly damaging than excess fat. But excess muscle mass requires more energy intake to maintain, which leads to increased oxidative stress. So thinner and lighter really is better.

  • myheaditches, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Uh oh.
  • Lionhart, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Baby boomers are WAY past middle-aged.
  • Bobski, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Most Baby Boomers are already well past middle age.
  • kbyers, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1So cool to see this on the digg front page. That was my dad's study that was just published! If I can find a link to his original article I'll post it here.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1need help with that?
  • kbyers, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Oh well, I guess you need to be a member to read the New England Journal of Medicine online. That's where it was posted.
  • Klisk, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2I work with old people for a living, and honestly, I'd rather die a few years earlier than have to be like that. It's a miserable existance.

    I'd prefer to die before I'm 50, come to think of it.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3Americans: Pay Attention.

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