Great. Just great. You just spent months—maybe years, possibly thousands of dollars—getting thin to extend your life. Now, science comes in with news that being skinny might kill you faster than being fat. What are you supposed to do with all these size 2 jeans now?
A new study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) disrupts everything we know about health. Researchers tracked nearly 86,000 people (mostly women, average age mid-60s) for five years, comparing their BMI data to their mortality rates.
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The underweight study participants died much faster than the overweight ones.
Being Too Skinny Might Kill You Faster Than Being Too Fat
The goldilocks “upper-normal” BMI range of 22.5–25 turned out to be the sweet spot for survival. People with BMIs in the “lower-normal” range of 18.5–20 or even the “middle-normal” range of 20–22.5 were significantly more likely to die than those in the upper-normal group. And underweight individuals with a lower-end BMI of < 18.5 were nearly three times more likely to die. Meanwhile, people classified as overweight (BMI 25–30) or even moderately obese (30–35) didn’t show increased mortality at all compared to their upper-normal peers. That’s where the “fat but fit” concept comes into play, when being heavier isn’t necessarily a death sentence if other health factors are in check. None of this means that you should go on a fast food binge to gain as much weight as you can in the name of health and longevity. The death risk for the severely obese, meaning anyone with a BMI over 40, is definitely higher, clocking in at 2.1 times more likely to die. Body shape matters too. Visceral fat, the deep gut hanging kind, can mess up your metabolism way worse than a little extra pudginess here and there. While it’s true that BMI is an imperfect measurement of weight and health, as it is an inelegant, blunt instrument wielded around in a conversation that is filled with nuance and complexity, this study adds to the pile of research telling us to rethink what a “healthy body” looks like. And to maybe stop idolizing skeletal figures like the 1990s Calvin Klein heroin chic Kate Moss look.