Fat at young age and Body Mass Index

International Congress on Obesity, revealed that reports linking the risk of mortality and obesity at young age. A research conducted by scientists from the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark concluded that men who suffer from obesity at the age of 20 years face double the risk of dying prematurely.

The study, led by Esther Zimmermann was done by monitoring the development of some 5,000 men who followed the military service from age 20 to 80 years. Zimmermann and his team compared the mortality rate of 1930 male conscripts people with obesity with a random sample of 3601 male non-obese men. Their Body Mass Index (BMI) measured at the average age of 20, 35 and 46 years, and its development continues to be monitored until they died. Recorded 1191 men died during the monitoring period until 60 years later.

“Our findings show that at every age, a man of obesity has doubled likely to die than men who are not obese, and obesity at the age of 20 years of constant effect until 60 years later,” said Zimmerman. The research team also found changes of premature death increased by 10 percent in men with a BMI above the threshold of healthy weight and it continues throughout life, in which an obese man will die eight years earlier than non-obese men.

“Our study provides clues on how obesity affects the age of 20 years when adult obesity throughout life. It is the first study with such a long period of monitoring and be the first study to investigate the impact for a lifetime,” said Zimmermann.

Scary enough, then how about you, have you measured your BMI?

I already measured my BMI several times; I found out that my BMI is nearly to obesity level. Is it really accurate? Just depend on the BMI? Just input your age, weight, and height?

I’ve read some article that sometimes we cannot rely on this index. This index doesn’t consider about the weight of the muscle from the body. Imagine the weight from a man that have workout very well, perfectly shape and have muscle all over his body, compared to a man same age, weight and height but never worked out and have fat under his bell. This condition sometimes will lead into misinterpretation to the index.

We can use this index for estimating our stat, but the one who knew well about your body is yourself.