Weight, Mortality, and Disability

Underweight and overweight are associated with specific mortality patterns, but the disability burden of obesity is probably more important.

The growing prevalence of obesity, and the known association of overweight (as well as underweight) with higher all-cause mortality rates, led U.S. investigators to explore the relation between cause-specific mortality and body-mass index; they examined standardized national health-status surveys starting in 1971, with follow-up through 2004.

Underweight (BMI, <18.5 kg/m²) was associated with significantly higher mortality from noncancer, noncardiovascular disease (non-CVD) causes, whereas overweight (BMI, 25–<30) actually was associated with significantly lower mortality from those causes. Neither underweight nor overweight was associated with any difference in mortality from cancer or CVD causes. However, obesity (BMI, ≥30) was associated …

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Weight, Mortality, and Disability

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