Weight Doesn't Equal Health

WEIGHT DOESN’T EQUAL HEALTH

We live in a society obsessed with weight, with a widespread concept of “ideal body weight” or “ideal body shape.” This explains why:

• You will find a weighing scale in almost any bathroom.
• The weight loss industry makes billions every year from capitalizing on this concept.
• It is usually the first thing to be checked at the doctor’s office.

This concept stems from the presumption that being overweight is equal to a higher risk of chronic diseases. This can put you under the impression that weight is a measure of your health. However, this is not true as growing evidence shows that there is more to your health than your physical appearance. Therefore, the assumption that people are unhealthy beyond a certain weight is not only wrong, it can also be dangerous.

Your weight doesn’t always give an accurate picture of your health.

Checking your weight or calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) is a common way to determine if you’re maintaining a healthy weight. Depending on your BMI, you can fall into the underweight, normal, overweight, or obese category.

A high amount of body fat can be harmful to your health. On the other hand, a high amount of muscle is good for your health. But the weighing scale cannot differentiate between the two. This is why your weight or BMI does not say much about your health status and can give you a false sense of how healthy you actually are. Take professional athletes, for example; they tend to have high BMIs. But their bodies usually house a significant amount of muscles and little fat. As a result of their physical activity also, they have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

You can also have a healthy BMI with excess visceral fat, which can give you a false picture of your health. This is because visceral fat increases your risk for many diseases.

Therefore, a person with a normal BMI can have “obese people” problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. Furthermore, many overweight, and even obese people, are in better physical shape with lower health risks than normal-weight people. For instance, a study found that one-third of overweight people are metabolically healthy based on their risk factors like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. The study also found that one-third of people with normal BMIs had worse risk factors. This further goes to show that your overall health is more than just your weight or BMI.

Weight and Risk of Diseases.

Research has shown that higher weight is associated with a higher risk of various diseases. However, there is no evidence that higher weight actually causes these diseases. For example, studies show an association between baldness and a higher risk of heart disease. But being bald does not cause heart disease. Instead, research has shown that bald people have higher testosterone levels, which is responsible for the risk of heart disease.

This means that just because 2 things are associated doesn’t mean that one is caused by the other. Below are some possible explanations for the link between obesity and diseases.

Weight Cycling – A recipe for health decline.

This is a vicious circle of losing and regaining weight. It is common among people with large bodies because they are under a lot of pressure to go on a weight loss plan. However, weight cycling itself has been linked with coronary heart disease. So, the higher risk of diseases in overweight people could be due to weight cycling rather than their weight.

Furthermore, fluctuating weight can impair your physical health and metabolism. It can also cause mental health issues, as shame and diet restriction can cause people to develop eating disorders.

Weight and The Risk Of Death – “Obesity Paradox.”

Research has shown that people classified as overweight have a lower risk of dying. A study that examined the correlation between mortality rates and BMI found that overweight people (BMI between 25 and 30) had the lowest mortality rate. It also found that people with stage 1 obesity (BMI between 30 and 35) had similar mortality to those with normal BMIs. In fact, the risk of death did not increase until stage 2 obesity (BMI greater than 35).

Another study in eleven thousand people showed the same result.

Despite the available evidence, overweight people are still advised to lose weight. Even though weight loss diets can increase your risk of eating disorders and weight cycling.

Weight and Health Seeking Behavior.

Overweight people tend to delay visiting healthcare facilities because they do not want to be shamed for their weight. But health issues like cancer and autoimmune diseases require early treatment for the best outcome. Unfortunately, this undue emphasis on body weight seems to prevent people from getting the best healthcare.

A study showed that women delay going for cancer screenings to avoid being weighed and given weight-loss advice. Hence, the higher risk of diseases seen in obesity could be due to delayed diagnosis.

The stigma associated with being overweight also increases the risk for mental stress, depression, and anxiety, which can affect physical health in the long term.

Weight and Social Health Inequality.

Obesity is more common in lower social classes. Being in a lower social class is also associated with a higher risk of diseases. So, the high prevalence of diseases seen in overweight people could be due to social health inequalities and not the actual weight.

Weight loss does not always equal better health.

If low weight meant good health, then you should automatically become healthier when you lose some pounds. But this is not the case. A survey found that even after people on a diet lost weight, their blood pressure, sugar, and other health markers were not significantly better when reevaluated after 2 years.

Reliable Measures of Your Health Status.

Your weight is not the only determinant of your health; it is only a part of it. This is not to say that you should disregard your weight entirely. But there are many other, more important, measures of your health, like:

• Heart rate.
• Blood pressure.
• Blood sugar level.
• Cholesterol levels.
• Digestive health.
• Mental health status.

There are other non-modifiable determinants of your health, including genetics, ethnicity, and family history.

You can be healthy at any weight.

No matter your body weight, the most important thing is to have a healthy lifestyle. This can help boost your overall health and reduce your risk for many diseases. You can achieve a healthy lifestyle through:

Regular Health Checks

Health issues are not always visible. So you should undergo medical check-ups regularly, especially as you grow older. Some valuable checks include blood pressure, cholesterol level, pap smear test, prostate exam, mammograms, and skin exam.

Healthy Balanced Diet

No matter your body size, you will increase your risk of developing many health issues if you regularly consume unhealthy food items. Therefore, eating a healthy balanced diet is vital to your staying healthy.

For the best health outcomes, your diet should consist of:

• Healthy carbohydrates like whole grains.
• Protein from healthy sources, like beans, fish, and meat.
• Lots of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.
• Healthy fats like avocado, fatty fish, nuts, etc.
• Less than 50 grams of sugar every day.

Regular Exercise

This can help you fight off many chronic diseases, improve your immunity, mood, sleep quality, and much more. You should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week.

Strength training is another excellent form of exercise that can improve your bone and muscle strength. It can also improve your heart health and cognitive function.

Smoking Cessation

Smoking increases your risk of premature death. It also damages your health and that of people around you who inhale second-hand smoke. So, not smoking will do your health a lot of good.

Minimal Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to many serious health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, some types of cancer, and weakened immunity. However, you can reduce your risk by drinking in moderation or not at all.

Reduce your stress level

Research has shown that stress can put your overall health in jeopardy. Prolonged stress also increases your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. So, you should find ways to prevent and deal with stress.

Proper Hydration

Drinking enough water can support your health in many ways. Some of the benefits of optimal hydration include:

• Better nutrient absorption.
• Proper organ function.
• Better sleep quality, cognition, and mood.

The best hydration fluid is water because it is free of calories, additives, and refined sugar. You should try to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

Is weight a useless metric?

Even though your weight does not give a complete picture of your health, it can be useful for many purposes, such as:

Starting point to track your health

It can serve as a good starting point for future weight or BMI values. Though weight measures more than fat, most adults experience a weight change because of a change in fat. So, weight may give you a hint as to whether your health risk is increasing or decreasing. But it won’t tell you how healthy you are per time.

Self-care for some diseases

An increase in weight for people with heart or kidney failure can be due to fluid retention, indicating that the heart or kidney is getting weaker. So, people with such conditions can get an idea of their health status using their weight – which they can readily check at home.

Weight is more than a modifiable risk factor.

Treating weight as something that you can easily adjust oversimplifies the real impact of weight on your health. This can even give people with lower BMIs a false sense of security about their health. Leaving them thinking that all is well if they can stay lean while maintaining poor lifestyle habits.

However, no matter what your BMI indicates, you should focus on cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Because an unhealthy lifestyle can put you at risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. The weight loss that comes with a healthy lifestyle is just secondary.