Q & A: What are the main links between weight and health?

What are the main links between weight and health?

An average body weight (BMI between 20 and 25) is associated with your highest chance of good health. Both over-weight and under-weight can affect health in various ways.
Here are a few facts and figures:

Nearly 10,000 people in the UK and 70,000 people in Europe each year develop cancer because they are fat, according to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2001, with breast and colon cancers being most closely linked with overweight.

The Institute of Cancer Research reported in 2001 that obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer (after smoking) and that 10% of cancers in non-smoking Americans are attributable to weight.

Middle aged adults who have diabetes and/or high blood pressure (a high proportion of whom will also be overweight) are more likely to suffer from dementia. In tests on people aged between 47 and 70, mental decline was greater in all those who had diabetes and in those with high blood pressure aged over 58.

A rise in diabetes in the USA of 33% in the last 10 years is linked with a similar rise in people with obesity.

A body weight only 10% above average has been shown to increase the risk of death from coronary heart disease.
The fact is that obesity is increasing across the world as such an alarming rate, and is so closely linked with so many illnesses, diseases and health problems, that finding ways to stem its progress is a priority for health organisations everywhere.



If I put on weight, how soon will it begin to affect my health?

For most of us, keeping a body mass index around 20 - 25 offers the greatest protection against weight-related disorders. Your risk of health problems due to increased weight rises gradually almost in line with the amount of weight you put on, rather than exactly how long you have been at a particular weight, though it is reasonable to conjecture that the longer you have been overweight the more likely it may be that you will have weight-related problems even if you keep your (over)weight stable.

Obviously, if you put on a stone or two for a few months and then lose it you are unlikely to suffer health problems related to your short period of being overweight. As another example, if you have always been slim and only in the last few weeks put on half a stone or so, again it is unlikely that any weight-related health problems will result from that. You need to check out your current body mass index to see what your current risk of health problems is, before considering whether you need to lose weight.

In fact if you repeatedly put on weight and then lose it (the yo-yo syndrome) that also increases your risk of health and heart problems so many experts believe that it is better to maintain a slightly high stable weight than to keep yo-yo-ing. The general consensus of opinion is that once your body mass index reaches about 27 - 28, your risk of getting ill health begins to increase considerably and over 30 you are officially classed as obese.

However, different professionals with different specialities do disagree on what exactly an ideal weight is, and the starting point for weight-related problems. For instance, one report published in the European Heart Journal in 2001 concluded that for middle-aged women, the healthiest BMI in order to have the least chance of metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease is 22 or less, and another report found that women who gained only 20lbs from their teens through to middle age doubled their risk of heart attack. And yet for prevention of osteoporosis, and indeed, to avoid the yo-yo dieting syndrome, many experts believe that for middle aged women a BMI of 22 is too low.

A good indicator of health risk is having a large waist measurement, with or without a high BMI.


I am overweight but I feel perfectly healthy, so why should I worry?

There are, no doubt, many overweight people who are currently healthy and feeling fine. If you are young you are especially likely, outwardly at least, not to be showing any signs of ill health due to your weight.

Sadly, were your arteries to be examined, they may well shows signs of unhealthy fatty deposits, or were you to have a thorough all-over check up, problems might show up (e.g. raised cholesterol, high blood pressure, early wear and tear on the joints, insulin resistance, and so on).

There are also no doubt a percentage of overweight people who reach a ripe old age with hardly a day's illness - figures quoted in The Diet Bible deal with populations and averages, and some are bound to be the lucky ones who aren't average. As they say, it is the exception that proves the rule, but please don't forget that a BMI over 30 (about 20% overweight) IS a predictor of ill health later in life and so if you are young, don't think that you will necessarily 'get away with it' for the rest of your life.

However, you reduce your chances of ill health due to obesity if you have no other negative symptoms or risk factors - i.e, if obesity is the single risk factor that you have. For example, if you don't smoke, have good cardiovascular fitness (you take plenty of exercise), if you have normal blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, if your surplus weight is evenly distributed rather than being mostly around your middle, if your close family are all healthy, then your chances of continuing to be healthy are much higher.

I'd suggest a twice yearly check up to make sure that you are still defying the odds as you get older.


Is it true that it is better for your health to put on weight as you get older?

The consensus seems to be that a small weight gain into mid life is okay, some say beneficial. But there are experts who believe that no weight gain is better (mostly because it seems to lower the risk of heart disease).

What everyone is agreed on is that large weight gains as you get older definitely aren't good news. This applies just as much, or even more, to older people. A report published in 2000 by the UK Office of National Statistics found that, although our general life expectancy is more than it was in previous generations, people retiring now will suffer four extra months of ill health, mostly due to the rise in obesity.

And, as incidence of obesity rises year on year, experts already predict that our lifespan will, indeed, begin to shorten again, and by the time the current generation of youngsters are old they shouldn't expect to live as long as their grandparents.



What is the healthiest slimming diet in the world?

In general terms, a healthy slimming diet is one that is similar to a normal, healthy eating diet - high in natural foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, pulses, and with sufficient protein and a little fat - but with the calories it contains reduced to a sufficiently low level to produce slow to steady weight loss. For many people, a calorie reduction of about 500 a day will be sufficient to produce the desired weight loss and, again, for many people, the best way to reduce the calorie content of a basic healthy diet is to reduce portion sizes slightly, particularly of the high-density, high-fat foods.

One of the great advantages of slimming on a really healthy type of diet is that as you lose weight, you also reduce your risk of various modern Western diseases associated with poor diet. For example, up to 80% of bowel and breast cancer may be preventable through diet changes, and scientists have found that women who follow a healthy diet cut their risk of dying from heart disease by 30%. Problems such as diverticulitis, constipation, fatigue and dry skin (to name but a few) can also be helped with good diet.

But as for the healthiest slimming diet in the world, perhaps there is not really such a thing. For one, we have so many different foods to choose from, not only in this country, but from country to country. The choices vary so much that THE perfect healthy slimming diet would be very hard to define in terms of which actual foods should be eaten, in which quantities.

And people do vary in their nutritional needs according to a variety of factors - their current health, their age, their activity levels, and so on. So pinpointing a perfect diet for everyone is not possible.

Unless you have a particular health problem, though, I wouldn't worry too much about the 'fine tuning' aspect of your slimming programme. If you bear the general healthy eating principles in mind (particularly with regard to choosing whole, natural foods and keeping a watch on your fat intake) and also watch portion size and between-meal snacking, you should do well. You could also get your doctor to refer you to a dietician for personal help.