HEALTH: BODY WEIGHT AND WEIGHT CONTROL : MEDICAL: CONDITIONS: OBESITY: NIH Study Identifies Ideal Body Mass Index

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HEALTH: BODY WEIGHT AND WEIGHT CONTROL :

MEDICAL: CONDITIONS: OBESITY:

NIH Study Identifies Ideal Body Mass Index

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

http://www.nci.nih.gov

Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 5 p.m. EST

NIH STUDY IDENTIFIES IDEAL BODY MASS INDEX

Overweight and obesity associated with increased risk of death

A study looking at deaths from any cause found that a body mass index

(BMI) between 20.0 and 24.9 is associated with the lowest risk of death in

healthy non-smoking adults. Investigators also provided precise estimates

of the increased risk of death among people who are overweight and obese.

Previous studies that examined the risks from being overweight were

inconclusive, with some reporting only modestly increased risks of death

and others showing a reduced risk. Also, the precise risks for different

levels of obesity were uncertain. The research team included investigators

from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes

of Health, and collaborators from a dozen other major research

institutions worldwide. The results appear in the Dec. 2, 2010, issue of

the New England Journal of Medicine.

BMI, the most commonly used measure for body fat, is calculated by

dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of his/her height in

meters (kg/m2). Current guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization define a normal

BMI range as 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9;

obesity is defined as a BMI over 30.0; and severe obesity is defined as

BMI 35 or higher. For a BMI calculator, go to

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

Obesity has emerged as a leading public health concern in the United

States. It has been well-established that people who are obese face

increased risks of death from heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Currently, two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Even more

worrisome, 17 percent of women and 11 percent of men are severely obese.

In this large analysis, investigators pooled data from 19 long-term

studies designed to follow participants over time, from 5 to 28 years,

depending on the study.

They found that healthy women who had never smoked and who were overweight

were 13 percent more likely to die during the study follow-up period than

those with a BMI between 22.5 and 24.9. Women categorized as obese or

severely obese had a dramatically higher risk of death. As compared with a

BMI of 22.5 to 24.9, the researchers report a 44 percent increase in risk

of death for participants with a BMI of 30.0 to 34.9; an 88 percent

increase in risk for those with a BMI of 35.0 to 39.9; and a 2.5 times

(250 percent) higher risk of death for participants whose BMI was 40.0 to

49.9. Results were broadly similar for men. Overall for men and women

combined, for every five unit increase in BMI, the researchers observed a

31 percent increase in risk of death.

" By combining data on nearly 1.5 million participants from 19 studies we

were able to evaluate a wide range of BMI levels and other characteristics

that may influence the relationship between excess weight and risk of

death, " said NCI's Amy Berrington de , D.Phil., lead author of the

study. " Smoking and pre-existing illness or disease are strongly

associated with the risk of death and with obesity. A paramount aspect of

the study was our ability to minimize the impact of these factors by

excluding those participants from the analysis.

The investigators observed similar patterns of risk even after accounting

for differences in alcohol consumption, physical activity, and education

level. The increased risk of death for a BMI of 25 or greater was also

seen in all age groups, although it was more prominent for those who were

overweight or obese before age 50.

The investigators gathered information about BMI and other characteristics

from questionnaires participants completed at the beginning of each study.

Causes of death were obtained from death certificates or medical records.

This analysis was restricted to non-Hispanic whites aged 19 to 84. The

investigators noted the relationship between BMI and mortality may differ

across racial and ethnic groups. Other efforts are underway to study the

effect of BMI on mortality in other racial and ethnic groups.

The full list of research institutions and studies participating in NCI's

BMI and All-Cause Mortality Pooling Project is available at

http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/bmi/

To learn more about the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics,

please visit:

http://dceg.cancer.gov

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically

reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and

their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the

development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new

researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web

site at

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research

Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal

agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational

medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures

for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its

programs, visit

http://www.nih.gov

-----------------------------

This NIH News Release is available online at:

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2010/nci-01.htm

Sincerely,

Dillard

Temple University

(215) 204 - 4584

jwne@...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com

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