Well, this is depressing. A NYT article reports findings from a recent study: being overweight raises your risk of death by 20 to 40 percent, compared to people whose weight is in the normal range.
Ooo-kay, I’m clearly going to die early, since my BMI (body-mass index) of 27.3 puts me squarely in the “overweight” category (“healthy” = 18.5-24.9, “obese” = over 30.0). But look what else the article says, regarding a second study in Seoul:
The diet and lifestyle of Asians differ considerably from those of Americans, as does physiology. An Asian with the same body mass index as a white typically has a higher percentage of fat, so doctors recommend that Asians maintain a lower weight.*
(emphasis mine)
Aaaaagh! This study backs up what I read and wrote about earlier this year, the finding that Asians are more susceptible to diabetes than whites. So… being a fat Asian isn’t just bad for the appearance, it’s going to kill me someday. In various ways.
Blehhhhh I don’t like this. I’m glad Erik and I already decided to go for a walk this evening. Now we are definitely going to do it.
*Erik: “That explains why every time I’ve calculated my BMI it’s put me in the ‘dangerously skinny zone,’ even though I’m healthy!”
[This post was imported on 4/10/14 from my old blog at satsumabug.livejournal.com.]
satsumabug.com | Lisa Hsia 
I know you copied that statistic straight from the article, because I just read it. Fat people have a 20 to 40 percent chance of NOT living forever?! That one slipped by the editors.
Yeah, a more useful message would definitely tell us what we’re more likely to die from, but I guess the study was just looking at deaths themselves and not the causes.