![Fat and Fit is a Myth]()
Many studies over the past 20 years have found that a relatively low, or “normal,” body mass index (BMI) is associated with the lowest risk of dying. But other studies suggest a possible “obesity paradox”: a survival benefit for people who are overweight or even obese. In the first study to systematically examine how muscle mass might affect the BMI-mortality relationship, Einstein researchers, led by Matthew Abramowitz, M.D., analyzed the body composition of 11,687 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In results published online on April 11 in PLOS ONE, they found that muscle mass—which is inversely associated with the risk of death—influences the association between BMI and mortality risk. When muscle mass is taken into account, any apparent survival advantage to being overweight or obese disappears, along with the obesity paradox— emphasizing the importance of weight loss and other anti-obesity interventions, even for people whose BMIs are only moderately elevated. Dr. Abramowitz is associate professor of medicine at Einstein and attending physician at Montefiore Health System.
Posted on: Wednesday, April 25, 2018