Obesity is already known to be a risk factor for various health problems such as heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and to increase the risk of mortality. Studies have also shown that being underweight carries some health risks – of developing lung cancer, for instance. Now an intergenerational mortality study from researchers in Bristol, UK and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, sheds new light on the health risks of obesity and suggest they may have been underestimated in the past (while the risks of being underweight have been overestimated).

The researchers looked at over one million parent-son pairs in Sweden, measuring mortality of the parents and the BMI (body mass index) of the sons as young adults. Using offspring BMI as indicator of parental BMI gets round the confounding issue of reverse causality, where illness causes weight loss rather than being underweight causing illness.The new study shows strong links between high offspring BMI and parental mortality from heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Low BMI, however, was not found to be associated with increased risk of lung cancer mortality. The authors conclude that previously the risks of being underweight have been overestimated and, conversely, those of being overweight and obesity may have been underestimated. In other words, you have even more to gain, health wise, by keeping to a healthy weight, and avoiding obesity.

Source:

Davey Smith G et al The association between BMI and mortality using offspring BMI as an indicator of own BMI: large intergenerational mortality study. BMJ Online First 23^rd December 2009: doi:10.1136/bmj.b5043

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