2008 Woodie Awards
Weight link questioned
Shawn Gude - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
A recent study counters what many consider conventional wisdom: If a person is overweight, he or she has a greater risk of dying younger.
The study, published in last week's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that the mortality rate for overweight people is lower than normal and underweight individuals. The highest rate is for obese people.
But although the research would surprise some, it didn't shock Jennifer Robinson, an associate professor of epidemiology at the UI.
"I don't think it really changes what people in this area were thinking," she said.
The research, by four Ph.D.s, was designed to determine any correlation between body-mass index - a calculation that factors in height and weight when determining the amount of body fat present - and death rates.
Linda Snetselaar, a UI professor of community and behavioral health, pointed to the lack of emphasis on the "quality of life" issue in the survey. In short, overweight people might die younger at a lower rate, but they're also unable to perform certain tasks or activities, especially when they're senior citizens, she said.
"If you carry a few extra pounds, it's probably not going to be here nor there for your health over the long term," Robinson said. "But the problem is those few extra pounds turn into lots of extra pounds. So people need to be more attentive."
What it still comes down to, she said, is what doctors have been saying for some time now: Watch caloric intake and exercise frequently.
Where the fat is located on the body - weight distribution - also comes into play, Robinson said.
"Somebody who has an increased waist circumference, it goes along with a clustering of risk factors that predict the risk of heart disease and diabetes," she said. "People who read this study and say, 'Oh, I'm not obese' or they happen to know their body-mass index, they can't entirely rest assured. Because it depends on where their fat is."
Roberts also said students, in general, have a lower risk of being overweight because they exercise more and dine out less compared with other middle-age and older individuals.
"Although their drinking is an issue," she said.
Robinson cautioned against rushing to quick conclusions about the research.
Snetselaar agreed.
"It's really important to see this not as a cause and effect study, which is what some people might read that JAMAL article as," said Snetselaar, who advocated further research on the subject. "This is really more of an observational study."
E-mail DI reporter Shawn Gude at:
shawn-gude@uiowa.edu
The study, published in last week's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that the mortality rate for overweight people is lower than normal and underweight individuals. The highest rate is for obese people.
But although the research would surprise some, it didn't shock Jennifer Robinson, an associate professor of epidemiology at the UI.
"I don't think it really changes what people in this area were thinking," she said.
The research, by four Ph.D.s, was designed to determine any correlation between body-mass index - a calculation that factors in height and weight when determining the amount of body fat present - and death rates.
Linda Snetselaar, a UI professor of community and behavioral health, pointed to the lack of emphasis on the "quality of life" issue in the survey. In short, overweight people might die younger at a lower rate, but they're also unable to perform certain tasks or activities, especially when they're senior citizens, she said.
"If you carry a few extra pounds, it's probably not going to be here nor there for your health over the long term," Robinson said. "But the problem is those few extra pounds turn into lots of extra pounds. So people need to be more attentive."
What it still comes down to, she said, is what doctors have been saying for some time now: Watch caloric intake and exercise frequently.
Where the fat is located on the body - weight distribution - also comes into play, Robinson said.
"Somebody who has an increased waist circumference, it goes along with a clustering of risk factors that predict the risk of heart disease and diabetes," she said. "People who read this study and say, 'Oh, I'm not obese' or they happen to know their body-mass index, they can't entirely rest assured. Because it depends on where their fat is."
Roberts also said students, in general, have a lower risk of being overweight because they exercise more and dine out less compared with other middle-age and older individuals.
"Although their drinking is an issue," she said.
Robinson cautioned against rushing to quick conclusions about the research.
Snetselaar agreed.
"It's really important to see this not as a cause and effect study, which is what some people might read that JAMAL article as," said Snetselaar, who advocated further research on the subject. "This is really more of an observational study."
E-mail DI reporter Shawn Gude at:
shawn-gude@uiowa.edu
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