What constitutes being overweight? This probably depends on the trends of the era. Under these conditions, the consensus among doctors may also fluctuate up or down. Studies have shown that the public's weight distribution is U-shaped. People at the edges of this U-shape have a higher mortality rate than those in the middle. This indicates that not only the obese, but also those with low body weight face the risk of premature death. But is being truly the cause of a shortened lifespan? And from when should being overweight be considered serious?
The standards for ideal weight vary with the times.
Until the mid-20th century, obesity was still considered a sign of beauty and health in the vast majority of societies worldwide. The results of this experiment might well reflect the deep-seated reasons behind this aesthetic view. Behind this aesthetic view of that time was not only a fear of hunger, but also a clear reflection of the medical knowledge accumulated by people over a long period. The currently more popular criterion for judgment is the Body Mass Index (BMI). Its calculation formula and corresponding standards are as follows: Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight / (height)²
People who are classified as overweight according to current medical definitions generally develop and die from different diseases than thin people. The average lifespan of "overweight" individuals (referring to grade 1 obesity) is even higher than that of "normal weight" individuals. Under modern living conditions, extremely obese individuals (grade 3 obesity) generally die earlier than "overweight" individuals. However, one should not rush to conclusions about this. This is because it neither means that very thin people can live longer by overeating and becoming overweight, nor does it mean that overweight people will become healthier after losing weight.