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April 20, 2005
Overweight Overestimation
The CDC made a little oopsie.
As recently as January, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated obesity as being responsible for 365,000 deaths per year in the United States. But the new estimate, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), puts the annual death toll at only 25,814 -- the earlier estimate was about 14 times greater.
Just a wee difference there. Another surprising result from the new study: a little extra weight is good for you.
The study, led by Katherine M. Flegal of the National Center for Health Statistics, a branch of the CDC, analyzed mortality according a person's to BMI, or body mass index, which measures weight and height. It determined that being modestly overweight, but not obese, "was not associated with excess mortality" or a shorter life expectancy. In fact, the research shows that being overweight is actually less of a mortality risk factor than being of normal weight.
Makes sense. Your body's healthier when not kept in a perpetual state of semi-starvation. Freaking duh. Not that it'll make any difference to those who have a vested interest in 'fighting' obesity.
But George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf III, who has led the effort in supporting obesity-related litigation, said the new death statistic is irrelevant and would not affect obesity litigation.
"Any time a study comes from an organization, which is basically beholden to industry studying the case, one is suspicious," he said.
....
CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said the CDC doesn't plan to use the much-lower obesity mortality figure in its public-awareness campaign, nor does it plan to reduce its fight against obesity.
Never let the facts stand in the way of your pet project, eh?
Posted by Rita at April 20, 2005 06:45 AM