http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6815136Oh my.
The crooked tale primitive:
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 02:37 AM
Original message
Overweight may not increase death rate
HAMBURG, Germany, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- In the German population, contrary to what was previously assumed, being overweight is not increasing the death rate, researchers say.
Matthias Lenz of the University of Hamburg and co-authors say most Germans are overweight, with a body mass index between 25 and 29.9. About 20 percent are obese -- BMI of 30 or more.
The researchers systematically evaluated 42 studies of the relationships between weight, life expectancy and disease. The study, published online ahead of print Deutsches Artzeblatt International, shows that overweight does not increase death rates, although obesity does increase them by 20 percent.
As people grow older, obesity makes less and less difference, the researchers say.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/10/20/Overweight-ma...
One can always detect who the fat primitives are, by their responses.
Skittles (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 02:54 AM
Response to Original message
1. I believe it can be healthier to be overweight than to yo-yo diet but certainly not severe obesity
Arcana (40 posts) Tue Oct-20-09 03:06 AM
Response to Original message
2. Don't be misled by "death rate"
"death rate" does not equal to diabetes, heart disease and cancer rates. With modern medicine people with these chronic conditions live longer these days, especially in a country with a much better health care system than America.
eridani (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 03:37 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. So, living long enough to become subject to chronic diseases is a problem?
Because why?
Statistical (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 08:54 AM
Response to Reply #3
10. I don't know maybe that thing called cost.
Insurance doesn't magically make medical cost go away.
As the entire population pool gets progressively more and more unhealthy health costs will skyrocket even more.
eridani (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-21-09 04:08 AM
Response to Reply #10
13. It is precisely extended lifespan that makes people unhealthy
Good luck trying to convince people they shouldn't have it.
The silly primitive justifies her stoutness:
SoCalDem (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 07:28 AM
Response to Reply #2
7. and in the end , everyone dies anyway.. some have longer "fuses" than others but eventually something will do us all in..
perhaps the best thing to do is to enjoy the time you have, and to try and eliminate all the stress created by worrying about how fat you are, or how much you drink or smoke or sleep or not sleep, or eat or not eat..
somehow, a life well-lived, that ends at 70 is preferable to a guilt ridden, anxious, pill-filled life that drags on until alzheimers snatches it away at 86, after years in a nursing home.
but then that's my take on it..
I did what I was sent here to do.. I raised three great guys, who are all self-sufficient grown-ups, had one long marriage (some ups some downs), came to terms with my body-type, got me some comfy shoes & am not afraid to "buy a bigger size".. and when my time comes, I'll be okay with it
elocs (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 07:04 AM
Response to Original message
4. I don't think the BMI is the absolute best measure of obesity.
When I graduated high school nearly 40 years ago I weighed 155 pounds and had a 32" waist. Today I weigh 190 with a 32" waist but my BMI is 28 and so I am supposedly overweight.
dmallind (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 07:14 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. That's because it was based on malnourished Belgian peasants with scrawny musculature
You can tell the BMI is more like another kind of BM very easily by looking at people at the peak of overall physical fitness like hockey players or football wide receivers and running backs - almost all of whom are "obese" let alone overweight. If you have more muscle development than a six year old you will be judged overweight. IF you've ever picked up a barbell more than a couple of times you will be obese.
Hmmm. Now one's wondering what the gigantic primitive's BMI is.
FlaGranny (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 07:24 AM
Response to Original message
6. Actually, overweight is a bonus to anyone developing a wasting disease like cancer. It gives the body fuel to fall back on when the patient cannot take in nourishment. It can actually prolong life.
Case in point - my mother. She developed multiple myeloma at the age of 84. She lived 9-1/2 vigorous years with it. She then spent less than 4 months dying from it when she was 94 and her reserves were just gone. This disease often kills young people within a year or two. She lost about 60 pounds in the course of her disease.
Dogmudgeon (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 08:47 AM
Response to Original message
8. Oh, no!
What excuse will we have to justify our hatred of the Fatties then?
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 11:18 AM
Response to Reply #8
11. I think some might be upset that it will be harder to tax people for it now
Guess they will have to turn to someone else to blame America's high cost of health care on.
The Good Samaritan primitive:
Mari333 (1000+ posts) Tue Oct-20-09 08:51 AM
Response to Original message
9. well my mom is obese and 83
her quality of life leaves a lot to be desired, however. she has leg pains and vascular issues, she has her legs wrapped and can barely walk, and breathing is hard for her. I worry about her falling down a lot. she has fallen many times.
she is poor, so she eats what her SS can afford. My dad lost half his railroad pension during the Raygun years.
I love her, and we all help her out, but she has always been 'on a diet'. I dont think its as much how long she has lived, but if she is enjoying it as much as she could.
Brickbat (553 posts) Tue Oct-20-09 11:19 AM
Response to Original message
12. It's impossible to increase the death rate. The death rate of the human poopulation = 100 percent.
So far, anyway.
Uh-huh, and that's what bothers the "atheist" mountain man primitive ("ThomWVA") who, like all men, nightly pitches his tent one day's march closer to the mausoleum.
canetoad (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-21-09 04:29 AM
Response to Original message
14. Couple of questions SS
1. Are you overweight?
2. How does anyone's weight directly affect your life?
