Want to live longer? Turns out dieting yourself thin isn’t a good idea, according to a new study from Toronto.
Publishing their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, researchers say that those who are statistically underweight, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) under 18.5, are the most likely to die prematurely, even more so than people who are overweight or obese.
While being skinny may be more attractive, it’s definitely not good for your health.
“Our focus as a society has been on overweight, obese and very obese, and there’s no problem in our focus,” says Dr. Joel Ray, a physician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. “It’s an important public health and individual health issue. But in the process we’ve neglected the influence of being underweight on mortality.”
Why Being Skinny Can Kill You
We all know that being obese isn’t good for our health–but is being skinny next on the list? According to Ray’s findings, it is.
Here’s how he uncovered it: Evaluating a total of 51 studies, normally referred to as a meta-analysis, Ray looked at the data to locate any associations between a higher risk of dying and a person’s weight. In Ray’s case, he determined a person’s mortality rate by how many diseases or deaths occurred, which included death from lung or heart disease.
As it turns out, those at the highest risk of dying prematurely from any cause were those who had a BMI of less than 18.5, considered clinically underweight.
“The study reminds us that being skinny is not a guarantee for a long life,” says Dr. Arya Sharma, a University of Alberta professor of medicine and chair of obesity research and management. “There are a lot of people at the low end of the weight spectrum who do have very significant health problems.”
As for the reasons why, Ray says that serious conditions often make people underweight, hence the higher mortality risk–such as heavy drug use, smoking, mental illness, or malnourishment. People who tend to be underweight oftentimes don’t have the best eating habits themselves as well, putting them at a higher risk for other diseases.
Instead, says Ray, what really matters isn’t being thin–it’s having some muscle mass and fat to go along with it.
“But we also know that it [the campaign against obesity] also has the risk of potentially affecting people who are already sufficiently healthy in size, or who are so slightly overweight that it’s irrelevant–their risk of dying or diabetes isn’t important,” says Ray. “It’s those individuals who become unintended victims of the campaign.”
His advice? If you need to lose weight, only lose enough so that you’re not too large–and make sure to retain some muscle mass as well. Doing so will help strengthen your entire body, minimizing your disease risk over the long haul.
Readers: Do you think it’s better to be too skinny or “normal-sized”? Weigh in the comment section down below.
Sources:
Study Finds That Underweight People at Highest Risk of Early Death – Canada.com
Being Skinny May Be Riskier For Health Than Obesity, Canadian Researchers Suggest – NationalPost.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.