36: Does Weight Really Affect Health?

Two common questions we receive are: "Does my weight affect health?" and "Is fat bad?". In today's episode, Abbey brings in the research to answer these questions. And, as always, brings in a wee bit of humor and poor singing.  JOIN the Fork Diet Culture Community! - Get access to the rest of this 40 minute video, more individualized support from Abbey, connect with like-minded people, and more! Mention: Episode 04: BMI Is Bizarre and Icky. Work with us 1-on-1 More about Abbey and the team References: Flegal KM, Kit BK, Orpana H, Graubard BI. Association of all-cause mortality with overweight and obesity using standard body mass index categories: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2013;309(1):71-82. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.113905 Flegal, K., The obesity wars and the education of a researcher: A personal account, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 67, 2021,Pages 75-79, ISSN 0033-0620, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2021.06.009. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033062021000670) Flegal KM, Ioannidis JPA, Doehner W. Flawed methods and inappropriate conclusions for health policy on overweight and obesity: the Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analysis. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2019;10(1):9-13. doi:10.1002/jcsm.12378 Tobias DK, Hu FB. Does being overweight really reduce mortality?. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(9):1746-1749. doi:10.1002/oby.20602 Heymsfield SB, Cefalu WT. Does Body Mass Index Adequately Convey a Patient's Mortality Risk? JAMA. 2013;309(1):87–88. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.185445 Gibbs W. Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? . https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/obesity-an-overblown-epidemic-2006-12/ Web site. . Updated 2024. Accessed May 18, 2024 Humphreys S. The unethical use of BMI in contemporary general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2010;60(578):696-697. doi:10.3399/bjgp10X515548 Luli M, Yeo G, Farrell E, et al. The implications of defining obesity as a disease: a report from the Association for the Study of Obesity 2021 annual conference. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;58:101962. Published 2023 Apr 6. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101962 Tylka TL, Annunziato RA, Burgard D, et al. The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritizing well-being over weight loss. J Obes. 2014;2014:983495. doi:10.1155/2014/983495