In this extract from his book "AgeLess", Dean Edward L. Schneider helps you measure your Weight Longevity Quotient (LQ), and considers the factors you should consider in dealing with excess weight. Robert Griffith, Editor.

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Despite this widespread misconception that thinner is healthier, new research has shown that the thinnest people don't necessarily live longest or have the best health when they reach old age. And, as you can probably guess, neither do the heaviest. The ones who enjoy the greatest longevity are people in the middle of the weight range. Those rail-like figures in the fashion magazines rate low in weight longevity quotient. I don't know if you can be too rich, but you can indeed be too thin, especially as you age.

Don't get me wrong. Obesity - defined as having a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 and above - is a serious health problem in this country and around the world. It must be prevented and treated, and I'll discuss healthy weight loss later on. Still, unless you're obese or seriously overweight (a BMI of 27 to 29.9) or have a disease or risk profile that can be aggravated by extra body fat, you are more likely to undermine than improve your health by dieting. In fact, later in life, a little padding can protect against malnutrition and potentially disabling falls.

What's Your Weight Longevity Quotient?

1. Calculate your body mass index (BMI), a measure that relates weight to height.
In his book, Dean Schneider gives tables for making this calculation. You can make it easily by going to: "Find Out Your BMI" by clicking here.
When you've got the number, write it down and click your 'back' button to get back here.

2. Measure your waist circumference (in inches), and write it down.

3. Check off all of the weight-related risk conditions that apply to you in the following list.

Serious heart disease: previous heart attack, angina, coronary artery bypass surgery, angioplasty, or heart failure
Other serious blood vessel diseases including stroke, aneurysm, or peripheral vascular disease
High blood pressure (over 140/90 millimeters of mercury)
High blood cholesterol (total cholesterol over 240 milligrams per deciliter or LDL over 160 mg/dL) or high triglycerides (over 150 mg/dL)
Diabetes or pre-diabetic (high fasting blood sugar - over 110 mg/dL)
Smoke cigarettes or daily secondhand smoke exposure
Sleep apnea
Severe arthritis
Gallbladder disease, including gallstones
Sedentary lifestyle
Total number of weight-related risk factors:

Now you're ready to translate your vital statistics into your weight LQ. You must make adjustments for your exercise habits, age, waistline, and weight-related risk factors. Total the points for your final longevity quotient for weight.

Get your 'Raw Score' from your BMI:

BMI	Raw LQ Score
Below 25	100
25 to 26.9	90
27 to 29.9	70
30 to 34.9	50
35 and above	20

Your Raw Score
Add 10 points for regular exercise
Add 10 points if you're age 55 or above
Subtract 20 points if your waist is 40 inches or more (men) or 35 inches or more (women)
Subtract 20 points if your BMI is 25 or higher and you have two or more weight-related risk factors
Your Weight Longevity Quotient (Cannot be over 100 or less than 0)

Here's how to interpret your LQ score for weight:

LQ Score	Deans Diagnosis
100	Congratulations! You're in the fit zone. Keep an eye on your waistline and exercise regularly. You can skip to the next chapter - unless you have the crazy idea that you can stand to lose a few pounds; in which case, read on.
90	You're technically overweight, but forget those hollow-faced waifs looking out from the magazine spreads. Losing weight won't make a big difference in your health and longevity, and dieting could diminish it. Ignore anyone who points out the extra pounds and just enjoy yourself - but don't gain any weight! And if you're set on shaping up, start exercising more.
80	You should shed a few pounds and exercise regularly to protect yourself from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions. You certainly do not need diet pills, however.
70	It's time to get serious. You need to lose weight. Follow the weight-loss advice in this chapter and consult your doctor about other preventive measures.*
60 or less	Your longevity quotient is in jeopardy. Weight loss and exercise are your absolute top priorities. Follow the weight-loss advice in this chapter and consult your doctor about other preventive measures.*

*Screen for cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure and treat if necessary.

What to Expect When . . .

Here are some of the weight-related signposts you might encounter as time goes by.

Twenties: These are your "reference weight" years. Weight gain from here on in is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Thirties: Age-related weight gain begins, an accumulation of fat that stems from reduced physical activity and loss of muscle mass. This problem is mostly behavioral - and you can prevent it with New Weight Rule #5 (coming in the next extract from my book).
Forties: Middle-age weight gain continues unless combated with diet and exercise.
Fifties: Peak weight years for most. After about age 55, keeping weight up can become a concern.
Sixties: Average BMI starts to decline with health problems that interfere with appetite, cooking, or both; and waning social support.
Seventies and eighties: Obesity rates decline, possibly because many obese individuals have already died. Adequate nutrition becomes critical to protect against illness and to keep weight at life-sustaining levels.

New Weight Rule #1 - A Few Extra Pounds Could Save Your Life

Adding to the media message that thinner is more attractive is the popular belief that a low calorie diet tips the odds in favor of a longer life. If you enjoy eating, you'll be happy to know that there's no scientific evidence that this is true for human beings.

Life insurance companies have always been interested in predicting how long we'll live, and over the years their actuaries have compiled vast databases of the weights, heights, and lifespans of millions of individuals. This rich repository of information together with the results of clinical research studies reveal a J-curve relationship between weight and mortality - that is, the highest mortality rates are found in people with the lowest and highest BMIs. The longest-lived group is in the middle weight categories.

Fat is nothing more or less than our body's storage bin, and nature provided these fuel reserves for a reason - a few reasons, in fact.

• First, you may need to draw on your energy stores if you get sick or hurt. Healing from illness or injury requires extra calories, but many people lose their appetite under such duress, especially in older age. The deficit can literally kill you if you don't carry any spare weight to cover the difference.
• A few extra pounds can also act as a shock absorber to cushion your bones if you fall. With hip fractures being one of the deadliest accidents around - more than 20 percent of older people who suffer a hip fracture die within the year - some soft protection around the hipbone can be pivotal to your future health. A study of 35,000 women found that the more weight gained after age 18, the lower the risk of hip fracture. The greatest protection was found in those who gained more than 25 pounds.
• Women also need a baseline amount of body fat to regulate estrogen levels, a key factor in how well you age. Very lean women often lack the body fat needed for proper hormonal balance and may experience thinning bones, dry skin, and other evidence of accelerated aging as a result of low estrogen levels.

New Weight Rule #2: Unless You Are Seriously Overweight or Suffering from a Weight-Related Disease, Don't Diet

Not only can those spare pounds protect your health, but trying to peel them off may lower your chances of successful aging. Many people have died in the drive to diet. From the risks of nutritional imbalance to dangerous medications, dieting can be dangerous - and the effort is rarely successful in the long term.

Most diets don't work. There aren't many laws against spreading misinformation through books, and when it comes to diet books, it's a case of "buyer beware." Many of the most popular diet books, especially the bestsellers, rely on something-for-nothing gimmicks and utterly fail to provide the nutrition you need for optimal longevity. (Certainly, there are many responsible diet books available, but they rarely make it to the top of the bestsellers list.)

Ample evidence shows that yo-yo dieting is the rule in the weight-loss game, and that the roller-coaster ride harms health and makes losing weight more difficult in the future. How high a price are you willing to pay for a few pounds that you'll probably put on again anyway?

Warning: diet pills can be hazardous to your health. While fad or restrictive diets alone can be dangerous, the medications that many people take in the quest for thinness can seriously compound the problem. Several diet drugs have been associated with health risks, from digestive disorders to heart damage and sudden death.

New Weight Rule #3: Watch Your Waistline

As you age, you're likely to see a southward slide of any extra fat. Starting in your thirties, you may lose fat in your arms and upper body only to add bulges to your hips, thighs, and waist - and in this redistribution, location matters. Evidence shows that too much abdominal fat is probably a bigger alarm for increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes than a high BMI - so much so that the New Rule is to pay more attention to your waistline than the scale when deciding whether or not to diet.

To protect your health and vitality, you want to watch carefully for development of the "apple" shape created by abdominal fat - a sign that the inevitable downward slide has crossed the line into a health hazard - whether manifested as one of those big beer bellies you might bump into at an NFL football game or a more subtly thickened midriff. Researchers aren't yet sure why large waistlines are such a health hazard, but it's clear that extra weight is more dangerous when it's located around your middle. Far better for your health is to be shaped like a pear, as exemplified in the paintings of Rubens and Renoir. A few spare pounds on the hips and thighs, an inborn rather than acquired condition, appear to do little harm to your health.

We shall continue with Dean Schneider's New Weight Rules in our next extract from his book "AgeLess". They deal with how to lose weight wisely and achieve permanent weight loss.