Lost 20lbs and reached normal BMI, but new study says overweight is better?

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mgb_phys
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So after a year of jogging and staying away from Timmy's I finally lose 20lbs and just slip into the 'normal' BMI.
They announce that it's better to be overweight!

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090623/weight_risk_090623/20090624?hub=Health

= For those of you south of the border http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hortons
 
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I haven't read enough about this study but studies like these are often misleading because a lot of people lose a lot of weight before death due to varying illnesses.
 
That was the complaint about the American study, along with overweight=>middle aged/middle class=>good healthcare.

In Canada I suspect it's because you need a certain level of body fat to survive the winter.
But I live in Vancouver - if you don't look good in Lycra they hunt you down and feed you to the bears!
 
Apparently, you need to get old before being overweight is good for you. But, it really may just be an indicator of existing good health that you can maintain weight when older rather than that gaining the weight leads to better health. In other words, the cause and effect could be the other way around than what that article suggests.

Of course, the same old caveats always apply to using BMI as an indicator of anything...it doesn't discriminate between muscle mass and fat mass. It may be that muscle wasting is the harbinger of death, while those who are slightly overweight have retained their muscle mass in spite of adding a bit more fat as they've slowed down.