July 7, 2012: Finally, a research study admitting that weight on the scale does not indicate health of the individual!

Extra weight is not necessarily linked with a higher risk of death: UC-Davis study. http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/extra-weight-is-not-necessarily-linked-with-a-higher-risk-of-death-uc-davis-study/corporate-wellness/comment-page-1/#comment-43779

Once again, I will stand by my research and reports: and once again, they do not match the long standing, traditional guidelines filtered down to John Q. Public from medical associations.  I continue to maintain that the use of  height/weight charts or  BMI  are not valid indicators of health status.  They never were.

We were lead to believe that a number on a scale determined if we were healthy or not.  And we were cajoled to reach “the healthy weight.”  If you were a 5’6″ woman, you were told that 130# would be your healthy weight.  If you were a 5’6″  man, you were told that 142# would be your healthy weight.  People felt that if they did not reach that “golden number” they were failing.

Height/weight charts were used for years to assess “overweight status.”  Then, BMI charts were presented as superior in deducing weight status and qualifying a person as normal, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese.

But, BMI really is not a valid health measurement, as height weight charts are not.  (Just looks more scientific???).

Example:  BMI takes only 2 variables into account:  height and weight.   (At least height/weight charts were segregated based on gender and even age).  With BMI there is no allowance made for gender, age, muscle mass vs body fat.  As a result:

A 5’6″  male wrestler who is 18 years of age and weighs 160# is considered overweight

A 5’6″ sedentary woman who is 68 years of age and weighs 160# is also considered overweight.

The best measure of health status is in fasting lab work and blood pressure measurements.    Based on a person’s labwork, a judgement can be made of their health.

I have counseled thousands of patients throughout my 30+ year career in medical nutrition therapy.  Many  patients who were at their “ideal body weight” had horrific labwork, blood pressure.  Many patients who were not at their “ideal body weight” were  much healthier.

It’s time to revamp many of the age old premises of diet/nutrition/health.  This will entail that the medical associations are going to have to admit that research has provided information that shows what was preached for years and years was flat out: WRONG.  Just do it.

 

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