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There's some good news and some not so good news for the overweight and obese.
For the not-so-good news. Other researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, which is near the famous jaw crusher and rotary dryer manufacturing centre, agree that obese people can live as long as people with a normal weight. They say that survival rates for obese people have increased markedly since the 1960s, which they put down to better medical treatments for the conditions associated with it. The problem is, there's a greater chance they'll be living with disabilities than people of normal weight.
The researchers looked at 10,000 people of various weight levels – some obese, some not. They measured their BMI, and also measured how well the subjects could cope with tasks of life – things like how well they could walk a quarter of a mile, walk up 10 steps, lift 10 weights, walk between rooms, and whether they had trouble moving from one place to another, eating, and dressing.
Once a person's BMI got over about 30, they experienced a big jump in difficulties with these everyday tasks. For example, those with a BMI over 40 had between five and nine times the disability of those with a normal weight.
The disabilities were due to reduced mobility from a greater body mass, and from some of the conditions associated with obesity – things like musculoskeletal disorders (arthritis, back pain), reduced muscle strength and reduced heart and lung function.
So yes, obese people are living longer, but their lives are still being affected by the disabilities associated with the condition, the researchers concluded. What it means is that the focus for someone who's overweight should be not just on living longer, but reducing the risk of disability in those later years.
As the first study showed, some of the medical complications of obesity can be managed by keeping fit. Eating a healthy diet and having regular checks-ups with a doctor and any chronic medical conditions treated, will help.
Reducing the disability from larger than normal body mass requires not just fitness, but shedding body weight. That requires not just exercise but caloric restriction – a weight loss diet.
Interestingly, in the second study, disability became significant over a BMI of about 30, suggesting that obese people should aim to get below 30, and ideally even lower if possible.
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