Too Skinny Shortens Life, Study Says

Author:
Ron Merk

Did you every think you’d hear on our Weight Loss Surgery Support site that it’s possible to be too skinny? Well, there’s a 1st time for everything and apparently according to a new research paper using informations from Stats Canada, it’s true. (and we thought are tax dollars get wasted.)

The study, published online in Obesity Journal, examined the relationship between body-mass index and death among 11,326 adults in Canada between 1994 and 2007. BMI uses height and weight to estimate body fat.

It discovered that seniors with higher BMIs live longer than skinny seniors. At first glance it doesn’t sound right, but the statistics found that when people have a few extra pounds on them, the weight acts as a reserve during serious illness, sometimes making the difference between living and dying. The stats were particularly relevant for people over 50.

A similar Japanese study found people who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people.

Unfortunately for us WLS patients, we’re not usually just slightly overweight so until we reach a BMI under 30 we still have lots to work to do. Never the less this information is pretty important because it relates to our constant impression of body image and “goal” weight that many of us have set for ourselves.

Often I have encountered WLS patients who are struggling with the last few pounds to reach some magically goal they set that they feel they MUST reach. This includes spending thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery to put everything “back” where it use to be or even improve certain body characteristics to meet some body image standard created by the “Cosmopolitan Magazine” view of what people should look like.

Sometimes it seems we have just exchanged one obsession with another.

The researchers found that what is really important is that people who make good food choices, are physically active every day, manage stress, and keep their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood-sugar levels in check, enjoy healthier and happier lives.

For people who carry slightly more weight than considered normal, being physically activity is the single most crucial indicator of having a great quality of life and maintaining your health.

So … by all means, set yourself a goal. Make sure it’s reasonable. When you reach it, +/- 5%, stop killing yourself and start enjoying the new body your WLS tool has given you. Keep active, remeber the WLS rules for eating, stay away from fats and white foods and enjoy life!

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