"Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, He thinks too much; such men are dangerous."
Junkfood Science: Helping, not harming, seniors
A second study released this week tried everything possible to find something to support “obesity as an increasing public health problem.” While headlines ambiguously mentioned obesity may be associated with disability in the elderly, the association this study found was not what most people may have jumped to conclude. Being fat was not associated with increased risk for disability and was associated with the lowest mortality....
Weights most free from disability ranged from “recommended” to “obese.” There were higher risks associated at the extremes of weight (a wide “J” curve), but only at the most extreme “morbidly obese,” a mere 0.5% of the cohort, did the risks for disability become significant.
But being overweight and obese proved to be associated with the lowest risks for mortality and best odds for life expectancy. Even the most “morbidly obese” people still had a lower risk for mortality than underweight people — five time lower, in fact.
“Recommended weights” were associated with higher risks for mortality than being either overweight or obese. Even those at the higher end of obesity with BMIs 35-40 shared the same mortality risks and life expectancies as those at “recommended” BMIs, leaving further questions as to the rationale for current “recommended weights” for older citizens.
The most carefully-done research has consistently shown the dangers of weight loss, especially among the elderly.What is most incredible is that, despite being unable to demonstrate a concern for “obesity-associated” risks for disability for 99.5% of elderly and finding that being fat is associated with longer life and the lowest risks for mortality, these researchers still advocated for weight intervention and ideal BMI recommendations
But Nanny believes it better for us to conform to her guidelines and "look" healthy even if we are dead rather than be jolly, plump and alive.