The Perils of Obesity in Black Women

Certain minority populations in the U.S. have been particularly hard hit by the obesity epidemic; more than half of black women are now obese (JAMA 2006; 295:1549). Previous small studies with limited follow-up have led some to suggest that obesity might pose fewer health risks for black women than for white women. Now, investigators in the Black Women's Health Study have prospectively assessed the relation between self-reported body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and risk for death among 51,695 black women (age range at enrollment, 21–69) from 1995 through 2008.

Among the 33,916 women who had never smoked, those whose BMI was between 20.0 kg/m² and 24.9 kg/m² had the lowest risk for death during follow-up after adjustment for educat…