Skip to main content

Overweight BMI Does Not Necessarily Mean Higher Mortality Risk

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 5, 2023 -- Overweight body mass index (BMI) is not necessarily associated with increased mortality risk, especially among older adults, although all-cause mortality is increased for those with BMI ≥30 kg/m², according to a study published online July 5 in PLOS ONE.

Aayush Visaria, M.D., and Soko Setoguchi, M.D., Dr.P.H., from the Rutgers Institute for Health in New Brunswick, New Jersey, conducted a retrospective cohort study of U.S. adults from the 1999 to 2018 National Health Interview Study to examine the association between BMI and mortality. The study sample included 554,332 adults who were followed for a median of nine years and maximum of 20 years.

During follow-up, there were 75,807 deaths recorded. The researchers found that across a wide range of BMI categories, the risk for all-cause mortality was similar, with adjusted hazard ratios of 0.95 and 0.93 for BMI of 25.0 to 27.4 kg/m² and 27.5 to 29.9 kg/m², respectively, versus 22.5 to 24.9 kg/m². After restriction to healthy never smokers and exclusion of individuals who died within the first two years of follow-up, these results persisted. For BMI ≥30 kg/m², a 21 to 108 percent increased mortality risk was seen. No significant increase in mortality was seen between BMI of 22.5 and 34.9 kg/m² among older adults, with the lack of increase restricted to the BMI range of 22.5 to 27.4 kg/m² for younger adults.

"Our findings suggest that BMI in the overweight range is generally not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted July 2023

Read this next

First Responders With More Debris Exposure Have Higher Risk of Early Dementia

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- More severe exposure to dust or debris among World Trade Center (WTC) responders is significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia at <65...

1990 to 2019 Saw Increase in Life Expectancy in Seniors With T1DM

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- From 1990 to 2019, there was an increase in life expectancy in older people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), according to a study published online...

Second Tumors Are Rare After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- Second tumors are rarely seen after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a study published in the June 13 issue of the New England...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.