Higher obesity levels mean more health problems

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study suggests that the health problems of very obese women may have been underestimated.
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30. Three categories of obesity exist - BM1 30 to 34.9 is obesity I, BMI 35 to 39.9 is obesity 2 and over 40 is extreme obesity. The latter two categories are said to be increasing rapidly in the USA. It has not been clear whether health risks, like diabetes and hypertension, plateau out or increase as BMI rises.

A team at the University of Pittsburgh now report on the relationship between BMI and health problems. Overall, extremely obese women were more likely to die over seven years of follow-up than those in other weight categories. There was a clear increase in all-cause mortality and heart disease incidence with increasing BMI. Much of this risk came from increases in diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. These findings suggest that maybe earlier work underestimates the health risks of extreme obesity, and overestimates those of mild obesity.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 5th July 2006 Volume 296 pages 79-86

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