As summer draws to a close, we sigh with relief and loosen our belts, eager to trade swimsuits for sweaters and anticipating all the holiday meals to come. But a large study in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine has news for baby boomers who might be minding their weight: being even slightly overweight in middle age isn’t doing you any good.

Obesity and increased risk of health problems (ranging from heart disease to type-2 diabetes, even death) have long gone hand in hand. But researchers in this study chose to explore the effect of being overweight on the risk of illness and death. Led by a researcher from the National Cancer Institute, the team examined the self-reported body-mass index (BMI, or the weight in kg divided by the square of the height in meters) of more than 520,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 who comprised a sample group created by the National Institutes of Health and the non-profit organization AARP. 

The team followed the participants for ten years, during which about 61,000 participants died. Initial analysis showed that overweight (a BMI of between 25.0 and 29.0) slightly increased the risk of death among women, but not among men. Relative risks were adjusted for age, race or ethnic group, education level, smoker or nonsmoker, exercise and alcohol intake. A closer look at data for men and women who had never smoked showed that overweight in midlife increased the risk of death by 20% to 40% compared with people of a normal weight. Obese people (with a BMI of 30.0 or more) had nearly double or triple the risk of death than seen in the general population.

What it means: Last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute determined that maintaining a few extra pounds in midlife might actually be healthy. This study contradicts those findings. Still, the complex relationship between being overweight and one’s health cannot easily be summed up by one study. It is not healthy to obsess over our weight, but shedding a few pounds when we’re tipping the scale isn’t a bad idea. A good diet and exercise help not only with weight but with stress relief and overall well-being. 

From the Archive:

July 7, 2006: More Than Just A Little Chunky
Jun. 6, 2005: Exercise Tips for The Oversized