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Krishnan Bhaskaran, lead author of the study and an associate professor of statistical epidemiology, said his team had discovered "important associations" between BMI and most causes of death.
"BMI is a key indicator of health, we know that BMI is globally related to the risk of death, but surprisingly little research has been done on the links to deaths due to specific causes, "he said.
"We have filled this knowledge gap to help researchers, patients and physicians better understand how underweight and overweight could be associated with diseases such as cancer, respiratory disease and liver disease. . "
The BMI is determined by dividing the weight of a person in kilograms by the square of his height in meters.
The authors of the study claim to have discovered that maintaining a BMI between 21 and 25 kg / m2 is related to the lowest level of morbidity.
It has been shown that BMI outside this range has a "J-shaped association" with almost all causes of death, not just the most common diseases. This means that BMIs below and above the optimal range lead to an increased risk of morbidity.
The study, which analyzed data from 3.6 million people and 367,512 deaths, showed that obesity, or BMI of 30 or more, was linked to an increased prevalence of two main causes of death: heart disease and cancer.
"A BMI greater than 25, the upper limit of health, is linked to most cancers, most cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and liver and kidney diseases," said Bhaskaran.
Obesity has been shown to reduce life expectancy by 4.2 years for men and 3.5 years for women, and may contribute to other chronic conditions, including respiratory liver and diabetes.
The British Journal of Cancer reported in April that obesity was linked to 7.5% of cancers among British women.
The Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK estimates that 23,000 women will be diagnosed with obesity-related cancers by 2035. Obesity will also become the most common cause of cancer in women's lives. Here 2043 if the trends hold up.
The study also found that underweight was linked to a "surprising and wide range of deaths", including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease and suicide.
However, Bhaskaran noted that the links between a low BMI and causes of death were more "observational" because it was less clear whether low weight was the direct cause of the disease or rather a marker of poor health.
He also acknowledged the limitations of the study, including a lack of information about the diet or level of physical activity of the people involved, as well as the impact that these factors may have on morbidity.
He noted, however, that the conclusions reaffirmed the importance of maintaining a BMI between 21 and 25.
In particular, the results showed that the lowest risk of cardiovascular mortality was related to a BMI of 25 kg / m2, with each additional 5 kg / m2 associated with an increased risk of morbidity of 29%.
The lowest risk of cancer death was a BMI of 21 kg / m2, with each additional 5 kg / m2 associated with an increased risk of death of 13%.
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