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Death rate from obesity, 2019. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic physical and mental illnesses.. The health effects of being overweight but not obese are controversial, with some studies showing that the mortality rate for individuals who are classified as overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9) may actually be lower than for those with an ideal weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9). [1]
Depending on the degree of obesity and the presence of comorbid disorders, obesity is associated with an estimated 2–20 year shorter life expectancy. [37] [36] High BMI is a marker of risk for, but not a direct cause of, diseases caused by diet and physical activity. [13]
Share of adults that are obese, 1975 to 2016. Obesity is common in the United States and is a major health issue associated with numerous diseases, specifically an increased risk of certain types of cancer, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease, as well as significant increases in early mortality and economic costs. [1]
Still, Cording notes that the most recent study only focused on the risk of dying in people who have overweight—it didn’t note whether people in the overweight category had health issues like ...
But BMI tends to overestimate body fat in people with a lot of muscle and it doesn’t show how much abdominal fat you have, which is a risk factor for health issues like cardiovascular disease.
A similar 2016 study found that, of the BMI ranges studied (which ranged from 18.5 to >30), the "normal" 18.5–22.4 BMI range combined with healthy eating, high levels of physical activity, not smoking, and no more than moderate alcohol consumption was associated with the lowest risk of premature death.
Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or more, thus it includes pre-obesity defined as a BMI between 25 and 29.9 and obesity as defined by a BMI of 30 or more. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Pre-obese and overweight however are often used interchangeably, thus giving overweight a common definition of a BMI of between 25 and 29.9.
Erika, a health educator in Washington, can still recite the word her father used to describe her: “husky.” Her grandfather preferred “stocky.” Her mother never said anything about Erika’s body, but she didn't have to. She obsessed over her own, calling herself “enormous” despite being two sizes smaller than her daughter.