Obesity Raises Mortality Rates: New Findings Revealed!

The United States is one of the countries with the most number of obesity cases. Right now, the country is facing an ‘obesity crisis’. At this critical point, a new study urges us to consider the ‘obesity crisis’ as a priority.

The study calls for a focus on an urgent basis regarding obesity issues. According to it, obesity can be a lethal condition that raises mortality rates. Dive right into the news to know more details regarding the new report.

More To Obesity Than Previously Thought!

A new study published in the journal Population Studies on Feb 9 states that obesity might be more deadly than previously believed. The new study contradicts the earlier research regarding this aspect.

According to earlier studies, being obese and overweight was not necessarily connected with having a higher mortality rate. The new study was published by the University of Colorado Boulder.  The paper was authored by Ryan. K. Masters, an associate professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

According to the study, obesity can increase the risk of death by 22 percent to 91 percent. This shatters the conventional wisdom that an increase in BMI doesn’t raise mortality risk. In Masters’ opinion, the BMI measurement has some limitations in analyzing obesity and overweight in individuals.

This measurement only takes into account the height and weight measurements and doesn’t notice the differences in body composition in each individual. So, the findings based on it can be a bit confusing. 

The research findings are contradicting the existing obesity paradox. The obesity paradox states that obese people need not be at risk of mortality. Instead, it states that being overweight and obese might help reduce the mortality rate.

The obesity paradox shows a U shape curve where the overweight category (BMI 25-30) has a surprisingly lower mortality risk. The obese (30-35) category has similar risks as the healthy category (18.5-25). According to this curve, underweight ( less than 18.5) and extremely obese (35 and higher) are at higher risk of mortality.

Also read: Link Between Obesity And 21 Genes Of Alzheimer’s Disease: Study!

The study led by Ryan Masters rejects the conventional claims about this obesity paradox. As per this paradox, only people who are extremely obese had higher chances of death. While the normal category of obese and overweight was considered safe.

But new research and its findings show that things are not that simple. People who are obese and overweight have a higher chance of mortality than was previously calculated. 

For his study, Masters analyzed data from 18,000 people derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 1988 to 2015. Among the data taken from around 17, 784 people 4,468 were dead already. According to the data, Masters understood that being obese for a lifetime can lead to illnesses.

The biases regarding BMI in the earlier research faded this possibility. Taking into account these facts, it can be found that around 1 in 6 deaths in the United States are due to being obese or overweight. The earlier studies that undermined the risks of obesity-related death didn’t account for the situations in the United States where unhealthy foods are extremely available. 

As per Masters’, the availability of unhealthy food and an increase in sedentary lifestyle has accentuated the current condition. It is high time the authorities need to look into the matter and take proper action.