‘Healthy’ but overweight?

[bumbleymummy]

Ok, I know this is a sensitive subject and I’m really not trying to upset or offend anyone. I just think it’s misleading when people say things like ‘ICU is filled with healthy under 60s’ or talk about a ‘healthy 40- something’ passing away and it turns out that person/a high proportion of those patients are very overweight. Are people who are clearly overweight actually ‘healthy’? I know it’s not the same as an underlying condition like diabetes or heart disease but we know that a high bmi puts people at greater risk of complications from coronavirus.

Before someone jumps on me, I’m not saying that someone’s life is of less value because they are overweight or have an underlying health condition. I’m just wondering if it’s accurate to say that they are ‘healthy’ when we are reporting figures and talking about risk.

Yanbu op.

BMI is pretty arbitrary, though. The "overweight" category in particular is not associated with poorer health in the over 65s, whereas a BMI below 23 is.

academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/4/875/4637868

@fallfallfall

even now with all the data in, governments are not willing to tackle food choice within the population, or alcoholism or smoking.. but given they can't even get the message that masks are needed i can't blame them.

They have tackled all three, there are long running campaigns. What do you expect the government if people keep ignoring the advice?

Here's a graph, showing that the least risky BMI to have is actually round 27.5 - or overweight.

[quote Nellodee]BMI is pretty arbitrary, though. The "overweight" category in particular is not associated with poorer health in the over 65s, whereas a BMI below 23 is.

academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/4/875/4637868[/quote]
The point is not whether it is associated with general poor health, but whether it puts people in a higher risk category if they have Covid.

Nelloee That graph isn’t for Covid though is it?

There is always going to be an anomaly with BMI as it's purely based on height and does not take into context bone structure and muscle mass. But as a guide, people in the overweight may still be healthy and athletic. However once getting into the obese and severely obese, there are obvious serious health risks.
This has sung to us since the beginning of time that being very overweight has a multitude of health risks, so yes YANBU in stating that the media shouldn't state "healthy" as clearly they are not, and covid or not their bodies would be under serious strain just to manage normal functions.

It's such a shame but unless we tackle food poverty and have a better understanding of mental health it will continue.

@Nellodee

Here's a graph, showing that the least risky BMI to have is actually round 27.5 - or overweight.

Reference of where this is from?

BMI is pretty arbitrary, though. The "overweight" category in particular is not associated with poorer health in the over 65s, whereas a BMI below 23 is.

Absolutely. I get frustrated with the discussion about being overweight (as opposed to obese.) Plenty of people are 'overweight' according to BMI but are just as healthy as those a bit lighter. BMI is notoriously imperfect, some people are just heavier, due to muscle mass, bigger frame, large breasts, all sorts!

Totally agree with @Nellodee

Whilst obese may be a problem, it's not unlikely that overweight isnt.

In the bigger picture other than covid, fit is always going to be more important fat or thin

@sabrinathemiddleagewitch academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/4/875/4637868

I'm certainly not going to argue that being obese is healthy, but the overweight category itself is much more debatable.

Yes, the government seemed to half-heartedly start a campaign on this - back when Boris was talking about losing weight himself now after having covid and how it had been a risk factor. But that lasted for about a week and then it was never mentioned again.

Of course there is a difference with being overweight or being obese. I would think a very large proportion of people in the UK now fall into the overweight category at least? I'm really aware that I'm carrying extra weight - I'm in size 12/14 clothes but at my height (5ft3) my weight puts me in the overweight category for BMI. Working on getting back into the healthy weight bracket though.

DH is obese and nearly died of covid. When he was on ICU, he was in a bay of 4 covid patients. And he absolutely noticed that, like him, they were obese and middle-aged. Of the 4, he was the only one who left that bay alive. It was sobering. But not sobering enough to deal with the reality that his terrible eating habits didn't kill him this time but will in the not so distant future. He's back to eating terribly and too much. His near-death experience has taught him nothing. I feel sorry for our kids, tbh.
Obese people HAVE underlying conditions (denial is the main one!). They're just undiagnosed.

I think obesity is the ultimate in selfishness. And anyone who thinks I am terrible for saying so, well, you can take what I've said to the bank and cash it. You'll find that the truth is legal tender.

I think it's really unkind for obese people to put their inability to look after themselves onto the shoulders of their families. We are at risk of developing life-limiting, life-changing illnesses throughout our lives, all of us are. So why would you court disaster by being obese?

@MsTSwift

In tears at the panorama program telling the stories of those who died but I couldn’t not notice that every younger person who died was visibly significantly overweight 🙁

Absolutely. It's terribly sad and tragic, but very noticeable.

People often have a misconception of their own weight and size, because obesity has become normalised e.g.they might think they're "a bit overweight", but when BMI is calculated they are actually in the 30-40+ range.

I'm not attaching any blame or stigma to this, but the risks and numbers are clear

A healthy 40- something’ passing away and it turns out that person/a high proportion of those patients are very overweight. Are people who are clearly overweight actually ‘healthy’?

I also think it’s misleading for the media to say ‘healthy’ - being overweight is a recognised risk factor when it comes to Covid. I think you can be healthy and overweight - but you are more at risk when it comes to many health conditions and so that healthiness is a fragile thing that can quickly change. Mentioning that they were ‘healthy’ in the press is misleading and sensationalist.

@Lemons1571

I’m finding it a really easy time to lose weight to be honest. There’s no FOMO as we’re not going to restaurants or pubs or anywhere that you’d enjoy a snack (eg ice cream in the park in the summer). Nothing else to focus on atm apart from work so may as well put the time to good use. 3.5 stone here, 4.5 to go.

Well done, good for you!

I think you're being unreasonable because those news reporters are clearly NOT talking about overweight people when they say "healthy young people are dying". Yes there are a proportion who are overweight, but the subject in question is that there are really genuinely healthy people with zero comorbidities who are dying. That's the real news story and I think you are being deliberately obtuse in misinterpreting it so you can start a thread about obesity. I don't believe this is a genuine thread, it's such a massive misinterpretation of the reporting.

I've not seen any information about a "young" very unwell covid patient, or indeed death, without them also being extremely over weight.
It is a problem in our country and it has been for years.

I'm not one to talk as I am exceptionally small. But then I'm too small and extremely unwell so... It goes both ways. There's never really a perfect weight.

I do think that we need a huge national push on weight loss though - surely the fact that covid is taking those who are not so small is reason enough? But then there's never really been reason enough and the obesity problem continues to get worse.

I doubt the reporters are told the deceased's BMI

@CorianderBee

I doubt the reporters are told the deceased's BMI

Pretty obvious when you see pics though

[quote Nellodee]@sabrinathemiddleagewitch academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/4/875/4637868[/quote]
Thanks that study but it is nothing to do with covid. It is a measure of the over 65s , which we've already mentioned benefit from carrying slightly more weight. So yes I agree with the study that the elderly are suited to overweight BMI of 27.

However the covid conversation we're having is in relation to the general population and the link between adults of healthily / overweight weight and those who are obese / severely obese

Posting a random graph from a study is not helpful

I suspect this is a major factor in South Africa's recent very high death rate. Its rare for an adult there not to be obese now and concurrent issues like T2 diabetes or hypertension are rife.
Almost all the media pictures about people who died youngish from it show very large people.

I also agree though that I doubt a BMI of 26/27 will be much of a risk factor or any at all, unless you're exceptionally small framed and unusual.

@purplebagladylovesgin

Weight loss is one of the only contributing factors (in the risk of complicated covid) you can do something about. It's a factor within our control. BMI is a rough guide but it's not far off. It's quite shocking what a normal weight should be. I think the vast majority of people genuinely have no idea how overweight they are,

I completely agree. Being overweight is so normalised here

@RosesAndLemonade yes but imagine the backlash from presuming someone's weight/BMI, assigning them a label with no stats and saying that's why they died. Legal issue waiting to happen. Or let the public use their eyes and see they are overweight, everyone knows and nobody gets sued.