Well F* Me! Underweight People At Higher Risk of Dying Early Than Overweight

[Maritime Q-Scout]

According to this article a Canadian study finds underweight people are 1.8 times more likely to suffer an early death than those overweight (at 1.2).

http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/...searchers-say/

So being underweight I have a greater risk of dying than being over weight. Combine that with the fact I'm male and left handed I may as well pack it in now.

Screw this, I'm getting drunk

Edit: I changed the linked article to one that was substantially better written

[Aeneas]

Great , us fat guys cant be first at anything.

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by Aeneas

Great , us fat guys cant be first at anything.

Pie eating contests?

[flylock shox]

The term "overweight" is, itself, a complete misnomer, at least with respect to how it is generally used. No surprise then that morbidity statistics wouldn’t correlate with it.

[PIMking]

Woo Hoo! 2nd fattest state in the Union! 'Merica!

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Screw this, I'm getting drunk

Edit: I changed the linked article to one that was substantially better written

Maybe you should have a burger and a cake instead.

[GGG]

Obeiesty still kills more and is the greater issue as so few people are actually underweight. Also BMI sucks.

[jeffman]

Ill eat a Big Mac for my health

[neo45]

It is generally believed that being slightly overweight is better for life expectancy than being skin and bone, as the body has some thing to keep it running during times of stress

[mrkajz44]

I can see where the article is coming from, but one must be quite underweight to be actually considered underweight by BMI standards. The issue here is people these days consider thin to be "underweight".

I myself am quite thin, weighing in at about 130 pounds at 5'5". I checked out my BMI and I'm still at 21.6. I would have to lose 20 pounds to get down to the "underweight" category. That's a lot of weight to lose percentage wise, so I could see myself as not healthy should I lose that much weight.

So is being underweight bad for your health? Sure, but the definition of underweight is way less than most people would consider.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I think the big issue is generally people who are severely underweight suffer from malnutrition, substance abuse and aren't in good physical shape.

Those are the real underlying issues, not the weight itself.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I can see where the article is coming from, but one must be quite underweight to be actually considered underweight by BMI standards. The issue here is people these days consider thin to be "underweight".

I myself am quite thin, weighing in at about 130 pounds at 5'5". I checked out my BMI and I'm still at 21.6. I would have to lose 20 pounds to get down to the "underweight" category. That's a lot of weight to lose percentage wise, so I could see myself as not healthy should I lose that much weight.

So is being underweight bad for your health? Sure, but the definition of underweight is way less than most people would consider.

BMI is useless, as are scales.

Let your ability to be active be a guide. I know BMI fat guys that can run till the sun goes down.

[REDVAN]

Om nom nom... looks like I'll live forever

[bizaro86]

Overweight and underweight are both bad, but the BMI ranges are totally out to lunch. I'm 6 foot 2, for me to be underweight according to BMI, I'd need to be 144 pounds. That would give me a life expectancy of zero. At 195 I'd be considered overweight. I'm actually over 200, and exercise regularly and need to wear slim fit shirts. I seriously doubt that impacts my life expectancy.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

BMI is useless, as are scales.

Univariate statistics as a whole are generally pretty weak since they assume you can lump everything into a single number. BMI doesn't work great because of muscle density, which is higher than fat. If you plug in virtually any athlete, you'll get them as overweight...even fitness freak Iginla.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Originally Posted by kirant

BMI doesn't work great because of muscle density, which is higher than fat.

I agree with your point but muscle density vs. fat isn't an issue in this circumstance.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

The BMI isn't a very good scale to use regarding individuals however it is useful in terms of looking at population and population trends. To discount it based on the fact that elite level athletes are considered obese ignores the fact that elite level athletes make up an incredibly small portion of the population.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by Super Nintendo Chalmers

I agree with your point but muscle density vs. fat isn't an issue in this circumstance.

Fair enough. I was just pointing to an instance of how using BMI can lead you down the wrong path; a perfectly healthy individual can be in the "overweight" category.

[Temporary_User]

I didn't read the study, but I've never seen a fat crackhead, fat homeless person, and I'm pretty sure anyone in the active military is not fat either.
I would say these 3 lead to an early death more than cheeseburgers and cake.

[irrevocable]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

I didn't read the study, but I've never seen a fat crackhead, fat homeless person, and I'm pretty sure anyone in the active military is not fat either.
I would say these 3 lead to an early death more than cheeseburgers and cake.

Plenty of fat homeless ppl. I encounter them on a daily basis.